End of days
by ToniLOVESjolie
Summary: So I have tried a Zombie story before and failed, so what the hell, why not try again.. LOL... So this is my take on a OLTL zombie fic staring the one and only Jolie of course :)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Coming live from the fox five news room, the super flu has claimed its fifth victim in New York City with cases of the flu spreading as far out as California. Local officials are yet to be calling this an epidemic but precautions are being made and the CDC is stating that there is no need for alarm, just get your flu vaccine and all should be fine"

Two Months Later...

The car engine roared down what use to be a busy main street and now all it was consumed of was empty cars and signs of looting at the local shops, most of which were boarded up now with graffiti lining the once prestine stores..

"wow I remember when I use to complain about all of the traffic here" the guy sitting behind the wheel of the small honda said as he drove..

"I know, its like a ghost town now" the red headed female said as she looked out the window at the surreal view before her..

"Yeah if only that was true" the guy said sarcastically as he glanced down at the gun in the console..

"do you think they are really gone" the girl asked as she kept staring out the window, it almost seemed like a dream, or a nightmare considering how you looked at it, it wasnt too long ago that these same streets were filled with work commuters and cars as far as the eye could see, now it was deserted and eery. Sometimes she thought she would just wake up and that this all would of just been a horrible dream after all..

"You know the answer to that sis, they are out there" he began as his voice drifted.."somewhere" he finished as he pulled up to a local grocery store, the windows were broken in, glass filled the ground and reminents of old food laid on the sidewalk outside.."You ready to do this?"

"sure" she swallowed hard, she was never ready for this. She glanced at the gun placed tightly in her hand..

"Lets hurry up" he finished as he grabbed his gun and they both got out of the car.."and remember if anything goes wrong then run and keep running" he finished as she nodded at him and they began to head inside..

It was only three months prior that she would have been heading off to work at the local watering hole and complaining about her reckless brother and yet here they were. It was amazing how a situation like this could force someone to grow up.

Natalie was only twenty four years old, initially at the prime of her young adult hood, she may not of had the best job in the world but she had been going to school as well, she was to be a forensic tech but those dreams were over..

Rex on the other hand was merely twenty one and not too long ago his days were spent in front of a video game console or at the black jack table at one of the local casinos in AC and now he was essentially her protector, what a change of roles they had, she still wasnt use to this but she wouldnt of given it up for the world, Rex had saved her, like literally saved her..

Two Months Ago..

It was a night like every other, Harry's Bar was packed with the regulars and for a Wednesday night it was getting quite packed, she was sure that with her tips alone her cable bill would be covered for the month.

"How about another one darling" Charles the local drunk slurred as he leaned against the bar..

"you know maybe you should try and eat something Charley, drinking on an empty stomach" she began as he rolled his eyes..She had been serving him drinks since noon and it was already six.

"did I ask for your opinion" he snapped at her.."Just give me the damn drink" he said as he slapped a five on the counter and she sighed, she couldnt save the world..

"is there a problem here" Harry the bar owner said as he walked over, a tissue clutched in one hand, the flu going around had been really bad this year, it seemed like everyone had it..

"No problem at all" Natalie said quickly, she knew that she wouldnt win by arguing with Harry, plus he was all about the money regardless of how it was made. His loud coughing caught her attention as she went to pour Charley a drink, watering it down as she did so.."You may want to get that cough checked out Harry" she said as she handed Charley his drink..

"You just worry about the drinks Red" Harry said with a cough as he covered his mouth and she rolled her eyes, nope she wouldnt win, she quickly went back to tending the bar..

Natalie grabbed a burger and fries to go as her shift ended, it seemed like everyone that came into the bar tonight had that damn flu, she couldnt wait to get out of there and away from the sickness, she quickly blasted her music as she headed to her small apartment on the southside of town..

Getting into her small apartment she quickly headed to the fridge to get a beer to have with her dinner, she hated that sometimes that place seemed so quiet, and it wasnt always like that, just a few months prior it had been filled with laughter and happiness but Brian had ruined that when he decided to bring some chick there while Natalie was at work, what a surprise she had when she had come home early one day from work only to find him in bed with some girl, it was the last straw and now she was alone yet again, it seemed she would be doomed to be alone and the only thing worse then that was turning into her mother, the town drunk, she shook the thought from her head as she ate her burger and flipped on the tv..

It seemed like the television always had the same depressing war crap on, the sight of towns in shambles was enough to make a person sick and so she finished off her beer and headed into the shower, tonight she would get to sleep early and maybe even go for a run tomorrow..

As she walked away and down the hall she hadnt seen the message that was coming across the bottom of the tv screen cause the picture shown wasnt of some war torn country but of the very state she lived in..

Officials are warning everyone to stay inside and lock the doors. This is not a test.

Sleep never did come easy for her, especially not now when the damn apartment was so quiet, she tried not to think of it as she laid there, she was better off without Brian, she knew this but even now, at times like these she hated the quiet..She rolled to her side and attempted to fall asleep, tomorrow was a new day and she was just that much closer to having her dream become a reality cause soon she would be out of this town, soon she would be a forensic tech..

She awoke sometime in the middle of the night to her neighbors yelling and she sighed as she laid there staring at the ceiling, seriously she didnt even understand why people choose to stay together when they so obviously would do better on their own, she banged on the wall a few times as she laid there, maybe they would get the hint, I mean it was nearly 3 am.

The sound of a large crash made her jump up as she looked around and then a scream was heard, a scream that sent a chill down her spine and she wasnt about to let this go on anymore, if she had to go over and break a fight then so be it and so she quickly scrambled out of bed in her pajama bottoms and tshirt.

Oddly enough it was quiet now as she headed out into her living room, she contemplated calling the cops, I mean what if someone was hurt, she had heard a scream but now it was just quiet, like eerily quiet..She got to her front door and opened it, the lights were flickering in the hallway setting a dreary scene and she swallowed hard as she forced herself to the apartment next door, she could hear noises inside but she couldnt make out what they were and then she sucked in a deep breath and knocked..

"hello?" she said a bit loud as she stood there.."are you ok in there" she asked again as she listened for a sign but heard nothing..Then the sound of a doorknob turning got her attention as she waited..

"Jesus Natalie, thank god your ok!" the sound of Rex's frantic voice as he came running over to her made her jump as she spun and looked at him, he was a sight to see, his eyes wild, his hair a frightful mess and something red was all over his shirt. He grabbed her hand and began to yank at her arm.."come we have to go, now.." he said with such a chill to his voice that it panicked her as she yanked her arm back..

"what the hell rex!" she snapped at him but before he could answer a loud banging sound was heard from the door she was just previously knocking on and they both looked..

"Oh man, we gotta go nat, we gotta go now" he grabbed her arm again but this time he held it tight and hard, nearly making her fall as he yanked her..

"what the hell has gotten into you rex and what the hell is all over you!" she yelled again as he began to drag her down the hall..

The sound of another crash sent that same door cracking open as she flung her head back to see what had happened and it was at that moment that she literally thought she was seeing things cause there was her neighbor, covered in blood with a huge gash on her shoulder and neck but she was standing and moaning something awful..

"NOW!... were going NOW!" Rex yelled as he pulled her frantically through the hallway..

"what the hell is going on" she yelled out and then her eyes got wide as the once nice yet loud neighbor opened her mouth and began growling and moving towards them. Rex had yanked her out of the apartment building just in time for her to see total chaosis in front of her, cars were on fire, some were busted in, other neighbors were outside and running, others were on the ground, were they dead? She couldnt even fathom any of this as she looked around all wide eyed and shocked..

"Natalie lets go!" Rex yelled as they got to his car and he fumbled with the door knob, she couldnt get her eyes off of the scene before her, it looked like a war zone but then someone or something grabbed her free arm and when she looked she saw it was the local owner of a small fruit stand, Mr Lee but he didnt look like himself at all, his eyes were bloodshot and crystal blue, gashes covered his face and at the present moment he was literally trying to bite her as she tried to break free of his grip but then a loud bang went off and it took her a second to realize what it was as blood sprayed her tshirt and she watched Mr. Lee drop to the ground like a sack of potatoes.."get in...get in" rex yelled frantically as she turned to see him standing here with a 9mm gun in his hand and she gasped.."HURRY!" he yelled as she began to look around at all the people, but they didnt look like people at all, it was horrifying.."FUCK!" he yelled as he got to her and shoved her in the car as she stayed completely in shock..

She watched as he ran to the other side and got in just in time for another neighbor to slam against the passenger side window, causing Natalie to scream out in horror as Rex peeled out into the road..

Back to present time..

It took her days to get over the fear, confusion and shock of what she was witnessing. All they could seem to understand was that the super flu that had infected so many people had some how changed those very people into these god awful monsters, ones that attacked and ate the flesh right off of screaming people.

Rex had been convinced it was some military experiment gone bad and now they were all paying the price, and over the days and days of hiding out it seem to look like they were the only ones alive in this god awful city, well except for the monsters out there but they werent even human anymore but something horrifying like out of a nightmare or a scary movie.

They hadnt even seen their mother since all of this had started, the location of her apartment was in a part of town that had become uncrossable, hundreds of those things were there and so they accepted her fate, as hard as it would be..

So now it was just the two of them, against the world, literally. Moving from place to place, always seeking shelter, never really stopping, it was like a constant battle everyday and an exhausting one at that but it had to be done, it was a do or die world and neither of them were trying for the later..

Natalie moved cautiously through the abandoned store, the place smelt of rotting meat and vegetables, it had been nearly a month since all of the power got cut off in AC and as far as they knew it could have been the world too, they literally hadnt seen a sign of life for over a month now and that in itself was depressing even though neither of them tried to think of it, they had each other, thank god..

She picked up a can of potatoes from the nearly barren shelf and inspected it, it really sucked that this is what their life was reduced to and that all she had to look forward to was eating these damn potatoes..A sound across the store caught her attention and immediately her eyes met Rex's as they both shared a nod and pulled out their guns. Rex pointed to an office located near the back and he began to make his way over, natalie not too far behind.

She hated this part, the unknown, even after two months of living in this crazy nightmare it never did seem to lessen the effect of what these monsters looked like, her heart began to race as she sucked in a quiet breath..

The sound got louder as they neared and then it was accompied by the sound of something falling and that made her jump..

"Lets just go" she whispered to Rex, she knew that whatever was on the other side of that door wasnt going to be anything good and it was no use in rattling it up..

"we need the supplies in here" Rex whispered back seriously as he put his gun up and his hand went to the door knob..

"it cant get out of the room" she continued as he looked at her..

"Just stand back ok, I got this" he said protectively and as much as she hated to admit it, she knew that she definitely wasnt cut out for this new crazy world and so she backed up but with her gun still very much steady in her hand..With a final look at her, he quickly pulled on the door but instead of coming face to face with a flesh eating monster they saw a very large, very dangerous looking cross bow aimed directly at them with an equally looking dangerous man on the other end of it..

The man on the other end of the bow seemed shocked for a moment as he looked at Rex, both of them with their weapons still raised..

"what the hell were you thinking of doing" the man finally said a bit loud as he looked at Rex and then glanced quickly at natalie.."your gonna attract everyone one of those fuckers in a ten mile radius" he said angrily as Rex kept his gun up and the guy lowered his crossbow..

"this is our store, we claimed it first" Rex said as he kept the gun up..

The man rolled his eyes at him.."settle down rambo last time I checked this place was free to the public"

"I mean it...this is ours" Rex said again as the man went to walk past him but Rex kept his gun up..

"Rex" natalie tried to be the voice of reason, I mean this is the first person they had seen in forever even if the man before them looked like he was built for this kind of world.

He was rugged in appearance, his hair long and dark, his face unshavened, his clothes consisted of a white dirty tank top and jeans, black boots on his feet, he looked ready for anything this world was about to throw at him and his eyes, she wouldnt forget those eyes cause over the tough exterior were the bluest eyes she had ever seen, honestly considering they were all probably the one people alive in this world, well he was pretty damn good looking..

"Put the gun down kid, before you hurt yourself" the man said a bit sarcastically, apparently not affected by the sight of a gun pointed at his face..

"Rex...just calm down" Natalie said quickly, she hated to see this escalate..

"You should listen to your old lady" the man said again..

"she aint my old lady" Rex cocked his gun back some more..

The guy shook his head as he looked at Rex and it almost looked like he was about to back up but within an instant he had Rex face down on the ground and the gun removed from his hands..

"Stop it...stop it your hurting him" Natalie yelled now as she ran over and the guy looked up at her as he kept his knee on Rex's back who was now groaning in pain..

"You son of a bitch" Rex groaned as he laid there..

"You should of put the gun down" the guy said to him..

"get off of him or I swear" Natalie said as she stood there in front of the guy with a gun in her shaking hand..

"Put the gun down sweetheart" the man said with a sarcastic laugh..

"I aint your sweetheart, now get off of him" Natalie said more demandingly as she cocked her gun back..

"Or what? Your gonna shoot me?" the guy laughed and then within seconds the gun went off as the bullet skimmed his shoulder and he promply fell off of Rex..

"son of a bitch you shot me" the guy said in shock as he grabbed his arm and Rex jumped up to his feet now as natalie stood there with her hands shaking, she couldnt believe she just shot him..

"Hows it feel asshole" Rex said with a wide grin on his face but before the guy could say anything at all a very familiar sound echoed in the small store and they all quickly turned to see two of those flesh eaters walking in...

"Oh you gotta be fucking kidding me" the guy said as he began to get up..

"Nat we gotta go, just head out the back" Rex began a bit frantically..

"You apparently have a death wish, huh" the guy said as he pulled his crossbow around..

"Natalie, now" Rex said a bit more louder as natalie stood there in shock.."Go!"

She nodded her head quickly and ran for the back door..

"Now your gonna get us both killed" the guy said to Rex angrily as he shot off his first arrow and hit one of the things in the head as it dropped..Rex aimed his gun as the guy looked at him.."I swear to god kid if you shoot off another round I will personally put an arrow in your head" the guy snapped as he shot out another arrow and Rex watched in shock as the other thing fell to the ground, before he could say anything the sound of Natalie's piercing scream was heard from the back door..The guy was over there before Rex could react and Natalie was charging back inside the store cause out in the back had to be atleast fifty of those things..

Once inside she promply slammed right into the large mans chest as he pushed her aside.."Go...Now" he yelled at her and she didnt waste another second as she ran back into the store and over to rex..

"Theres so many" she said frantically as she looked at Rex..

"Get to the car,...now" Rex said as he turned to leave..

"You cant just leave him here, they will kill him" Natalie said quickly..

"He isnt our problem" Rex grabbed her arm..

"Rex! Stop...we have to help him" she said as anxiety ran through her..

"why? He was gonna kill me, remember" Rex yelled at her..

"Cause you wouldnt put the damn gun down" she yelled back at him..

"Hey you shot him" Rex said back to her and before she could answer the man was running back in as he looked at them and ran past..

"You better hurry up or you'll be dinner" the man said as rex and Natalie looked at each other and then ran out of there as a ton of those monsters came crashing through the back door.."is this your car?" the guy asked as they got outside..

"Your not getting in" rex began as he looked at the guy..

"Like hell im not" the man answered as he opened the car door..

"rex we have to go" Natalie said quickly as some of the things began to get to the front of the store and more were heading down the street now..

"we are not going anywhere with him, are you crazy" Rex yelled out...

"Your about to be dead kid, get in" the man yelled as he revved up the engine of the car. The streets were becoming flooded with those things as Rex and natalie looked at one another.."Im not gonna ask again"

"Shit!" rex yelled and then grabbed Natalie's arm..."come on, lets go" he said as they both jumped in the car and within seconds the guy was peeling out of there, hitting into a few of the flesh eaters as they made their get away..

They made it about a half mile up the road when Rex finally yelled as he held his gun up.."pull over"

"Put the gun down kid" the guy said as he drove..

"Im not kidding, pull the hell over" Rex yelled and the guy abruptly stopped the car, he looked pissed..

"Get out" the guy yelled at Rex..

"what? This is my car" Rex yelled as he kept his gun pointed and Natalie watched frantically from the back seat..She didnt know what the hell to do..

"I seriously doubt that" the guy rolled his eyes.."I wouldnt even try it darling" he finished as he looked at natalie through the rearview mirror, she had the gun pointed at the back of the seat, towards the man..

"Its two against one buddy" Rex laughed now..

"How about its you against them" the guy nodded to the street where a few more of those things were coming over.."we can do this the easy way or the hard way, and im really not in the mood"

"Rex just put the gun down" Natalie finally said as Rex looked at her..

"she's a smart girl" the man said..

"this is our car Nat" Rex said quickly as he held the gun towards the guy..

"do you want to die kid!" the guy yelled loud..

"Rex just put it down!" Natalie yelled as her voice shook and those things got closer..Rex looked out the window cautiously and then back at the guy, slowly he lowered his gun as he huffed..

"stubborn asshole" the guy grumbled and then quickly skidded off down the road, neither Rex nor Natalie knew what their fate would be now, part of her worried that maybe they would be better off with the monsters outside of the car..


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The car ride was awkwardly quiet for about ten minutes as the strange guy drove, Rex didnt take his eyes off of him at all and Natalie was pondering from the back seat what to do next, I mean essentially the man had saved them..

"How many more do you got with you" the man finally spoke as he looked at Rex and then glanced at Natalie through the mirror..Natalie went to speak but rex did first..

"a bunch and they will be looking for us" Rex said quickly as he shot Natalie a look..

"really? And yet your both out alone" the guy rolled his eyes..

"its just me and Rex, are there others?" Natalie spit out as rex gawked at her.."what? Whats the point of lying now" she said quickly, honestly all she could think is that they were most likely better off with this guy, dangerous or not. He could of left them behind..

"she's still in shock, she doesnt know what she is saying" rex said defensively..

"seriously how did you make it this far with this guy" the man said with a shake of his head..

"we were just fine before you came along buddy" Rex snapped at him..

"dont get your panties in a bunch kid, I did save your ass back there" the guy said sarcastically.."not to mention got shot in the process" he said as he glanced at the gash in his arm..

"sorry um, about that" Natalie swallowed hard as the guy glanced at her..

"dont apologize" Rex snapped and then looked back at the guy.."you can let us out here"

"Really?" the guy said with a roll of his eyes..

"Rex" Natalie said quickly as Rex looked at her..

"we'll be fine, were always fine" Rex began as he looked at Natalie..

"they are everywhere" natalie said quietly..

"You should listen to her, she seems to be the voice of reason" the guy smirked as he drove..

"and you just want me to trust you" Rex said with a sarcastic laugh..

"You dont have any other choice" the guy glanced at him..

"are there others" Natalie said again as Rex shot her a look..

"not that we want to go anywhere near you, were fine on our own" Rex said again..

The guy ignored him and glanced at Natalie in the rearview mirror.."a few of us across town..but I cant guarentee" the man began..

"trust me we dont want any favors" Rex said with a condiscending tone..

"You know for a kid you got a big mouth on you" the man said back to him..

"Is it safe, where you are" Natalie ignored Rex as the guy looked at her again through the mirror..

"safe enough" he said as he continued to drive..Rex just shook his head..

"Come on rex it has to be better then this" natalie began..."weve been moving for days, your the first alive person we have seen in awhile" she said truthfully..

"yeah well its just up the road here but like I said were not really into taking anymore people in" he said as he drove..

"We will be fine, we should just go" Rex said to natalie but she wasnt hearing it, they had been on the run for days, she was tired and hungry..

"You know you should be a bit more appreciative" the man said with a roll of his eyes..

"we are" Natalie said quickly as Rex now rolled his eyes and huffed.."its just still a little shocking to see someone else out here"

"Yeah well like I said I cant guarentee anything, we'll have to see what the others say" he said as Rex rolled his eyes and natalie shot him a look now and he promply sulked in his seat...

They drove in silence for about another mile until they hit a large motel off the highway, the place looked deserted and with the night falling on them it was giving off a scary vibe.."Put the guns away before we get out" the man said as he stopped the car..

"How do we know your not walking us into some kind of trap" Rex said suspiciously..

"seriously kid you need to lighten up" he finished as he got out of the car and Rex looked to natalie..

"I dont like this, I dont like it one bit" he said honestly..

"Rex if there are others out there then they could help" Natalie began..

"and this guy could chop us into a million pieces" Rex said sarcastically..

"Your wasting time and you dont want to sit around and wait for company to show up" the man said impatiently from outside the car..

"he didnt have to help us and he did" natalie began as she went to open the door..

"and what if he's not helping us, then what" Rex said as he looked at her..

"then we take our chances" she said as she got out and Rex huffed loudly as he got out..

"dont try anything stupid kid" the guy warned and then began walking up the deserted building as they followed..

The door was boarded up as they neared it and the guy began walking to the side of the building, about one story up was a fire escape and he quickly pulled down the ladder as he looked around.."Hurry up, its not gonna be pretty in a minute" the guy said as sounds could be heard in the distance, it was the familiar groaning and moaning again and Natalie wasnt taking her chances as she quickly got to the metal stairs, she took one last look at Rex and then quickly climbed up.."head to the far right window and climb in" the guy called out from the ground as Rex began to climb up next and natalie headed to the open window as she popped her head inside she was met with a shot gun aimed at her face and a tall skinny guy standing behind it..

"dont take another step" the guy said warningly as natalie froze..

"drop the gun Cris, their with me" the man said as he came over with Rex..

"see I told you, I told you this was a bad idea" Rex began to ramble..

"do you ever stop" the guy huffed as he pushed rex back and walked past him..

"who the hell are they, your not suppose to be bringing people back here, are they infected" the guy began to ramble as the man made his way inside and pushed the gun down from natalie's face..

"do I look like an idiot" he snapped at the guy standing there..

"Vince is gonna be pissed" the young guy shook his head..

"I'll deal with him" the man said to him as Natalie and rex looked at each other.."come on and leave your guns on the table"

"they came armed?" the guy with the shot gun said in shock..

"Just do it" the man said to Rex and Natalie as they reluctantly pulled out their guns and the guy with the shot gun held onto his firmer.."You could always go back out there" the man nodded to the window.."wheres Vince?" he then said to the kid with the gun..

"sleeping most likely, he is gonna be pissed John" the kid said, it was then that Natalie realized that this was the first time she had heard the guys name, John, his name was John..

Before anyone could say anything a tall thin woman came walking into the dark and nearly desolate room.."jesus John, we were about to send out a search party" the girl began and then her voice trailed as she looked at Natalie and Rex.."who the hell are they" she snapped angrily..

"Johnny made some friends" the kid said sarcastically..

"watch it Cris" John warned..

"whatever man, im getting a beer" Cris said with a roll of his eyes as he walked to the door..

"You brought people back here, what are you crazy, we can barely take care of ourselves" the woman said with annoyance..

"Calm down Vange, their fine" John began as her eyes drifted from Natalie and Rex to John and then to his bleeding arm..

"Oh my god, are you bit?" she said in shock..

"No..just a war wound" he said as he glanced at natalie and she swallowed hard..

"do you need stitches" Evange said as she inspected his arm and it wasnt lost on natalie that this woman definitely had her territory marked, she wondered if they were a couple..

"Im fine, im going to speak to Vince" John said as he pulled his arm back from her prying hands..

"it looks like a gun shot" she said in shock and then she looked at Natalie and Rex and then the guns on the table..

"its nothing" John brushed it off.."why dont you show these two around" he began to leave the room..

"Your joking right" the woman laughed sarcastically..

"do I look like im laughing" John said seriously and then left the room as natalie and rex looked at each other..

"great, this is all we need right now" she huffed as she stood there..

"Listen were not here to make trouble" Natalie began softly..

"whatever" she said in a nasty tone.."dont get too comfortable" she snapped and then headed to the door..

The place was an abandoned motel, it had four floors and it would seem the only way in and out was through that window, everything else was boarded up, staircases included. Even though Natalie had no idea what they were heading into and the woman they were following was less then pleased to be leading them there, well for the first time since all of this started she felt a bit relaxed, this was definitely better then being held up in some broken down apartment with danger right outside the door..

"keep your eyes open and watch your back" Rex whispered to her warningly as they walked..

"we dont like strangers here" Vange said quickly as they neared a door where music could be heard playing softly.."and we have rules" she stopped at the door and looked at them..

"we'll obey them, I promise, im just glad that" Natalie began..

"save it for someone who cares" Vange snapped at her and then opened the door, John was already in there and so were about twenty other people who were staring at Rex and John with wide eyes..It was intimidating to say the least..The tall man standing beside John just shook his head as he looked at them..

"its safer in numbers" John began as another man walked over, he was the tallest of the group, he towered over everyone and his hair was jet black and long..

"yeah well I say the more the merrier" the guy grinned.."dont be rude, get them a beer" he said to a dark haired guy standing off to the side who didnt question him but quickly walked over to a cooler.."whats your name darling?" the very tall man said as he walked over to them..

"Natalie" she swallowed hard as she looked up at the intimidating man..

"Steele" he put his hand out to her.."at your service" he grinned and Natalie shook his very large hand..

"alright alright, lets get the introductions out of the way, its getting late and we need to go over a few things with the newbies" the man standing beside John said..

"This your man?" Steele said as he looked at Rex and then natalie as he ignored the other guy talking..

"keep it in your pants man" another guy laughed..

"dont mind him, he's gotten barbaric in these times" a petite girl came over with punk rock hair and a soft smile.."Gigi" she said with her hand extended..

"Hi" Natalie said quietly as Rex stood there suspiciously..Steele walked over to John and nudged him..

"Nice pickings man, nice pickings" he grinned as John rolled his eyes and sipped on his beer..

"come on, im sure your tired of standing" Gigi said as she took Natalie's hand and lead her over to a chair as Rex followed, eyeing everyone he passed as Gigi grabbed the beers from the young kid standing off to the side and she handed one to Natalie and the other to Rex.."you can relax a bit, your safe here" she said to Rex who kept his guard up and didnt say anything..

"alright im taking watch" John said as he quickly went to the door..

"Thank you" Natalie called out but he didnt stop, he just kept walking..

"dont mind him, he gets moody" Gigi said with a smile and then natalie watched as Evange headed out of the door too, she would have to keep her eye on that chick, that much she did know. She didnt trust her as far as she could throw her..

As the introductions went under way they met the young kid guarding the beers, his name was Matthew, he looked only to be 17 or so, possibly the youngest of the group. Then there was jessica and brody, apparently a couple by the looks of things. Then there was Cris, the guy with the shotgun greeting, he was around natalie's age. The oldest of the group was a nice woman by the name of Nora and her husband Bo who use to be a police chief. The others were a girl by the name of Dani who pretty much stayed to herself, another guy by the name of Jeffrey who was fidgeting with a radio the whole time, Vincent the apparent leader of this group, another guy named Michael and his girlfriend Marcie who by the looks of it was nearly six months pregnant. Then there was a arguing couple by the name of Todd and Blair, the spent the majority of the time bickering. The rest of the people consisted of a three men by the name of Vickers, Kevin and Joey and two more women by the name of Tea and Kelly.

All and all they were pretty friendly and welcoming even though Natalie could tell that Rex wasnt liking this idea at all.

They all told their story of how they happened to end up here, it was amazing to find out that some were doctors, other lawyers, cops, some just club owners, another a newspaper editor. It seemed as though every walk of life was here and soon Natalie was feeling relaxed in their new atmosphere and that was something she hadnt felt for quite sometime.

Gigi had taken a liking to her immediately and Natalie the same to her. It was nice to connect with someone and soon Gigi was showing her the sleeping quarters as they walked through the large building..

"alot of the rooms are used up but you can bunk with me if you want" Gigi continued as they walked around..

"thanks for being so welcoming" Natalie said honestly...

"weve all been there but its good now, this place has become our home and well yours now too" Gigi said with a smile..

"yeah well I think a couple of the people here arent so happy about that" Natalie said as she fidgeted with her hands..

"Oh you mean Vange" Gigi laughed.."dont worry about her, she is a bitch to everyone, I just ignore her"

"what is her deal" Natalie asked as they stopped at a door..

"beats me, she is just uptight" Gigi shrugged he shoulders.."just stay out of her way and she will leave you alone, your brother on the other hand, he needs to lighten up"

"we had a rough couple of weeks" natalie said by way of explanation..

"I know it sucks but once we found this place" Gigi began as she sighed.."its been nice to actually sleep which im sure your exhausted"

"I am pretty tired" Natalie said honestly..

"well come on, i'll show you my room and get this we actually have beds" Gigi grinned big and they headed down the hallway..

Meanwhile John stood up on the roof of the building over looking the road.."see anything?" Vincent said as he came over to him and John just kept looking out of the building...

"nothing to cause alarm" John said as he scanned the nearby woods..

"I hope you didnt make a bad decision by bringing them back here" Vincent said as he came up to John.."the girl seems ok but the kid, he could be trouble"

"He's just a kid, Vince.. give him some time" John said honestly..

"what made you bring them back" Vince asked.."getting soft in your old age" he laughed some..

"theres strength in numbers" John said honestly..

"were still getting over the blow from a few weeks ago" Vince said honestly..

"and we lost ten people" John said dryly..

"I just hope this doesnt back fire man" Vincent said with a sigh..

"If it does then I will take care of it personally" John said seriously..

"Im gonna hold you to that" Vince said as Evange came walking onto the roof..

"anything out there?" she asked as she came over fully armed with a gun..

"well im going to bed, wake me in a few and I will take over" Vince said as he left and Vange looked at John..

"You should let me take over a bit, you havent slept in days John" she said as she neared him..

"when im tired I will sleep" he said in a clipped tone..

"John you cant still blame yourself for what happened" she began as he looked at her..

"i dont need this speech right now" he said quickly..

"Im worried about you" she said as she touched his arm and he yanked it back..

"dont be, im fine" he said as he walked to the other side of the roof.."You should go to bed, im good out here"

She took a deep breath as she stood there but then turned and left the roof, he too took a deep breath as he stood there and ran a hand through his head and then he continued staring out into the night sky..

It was a few hours later when natalie awoke to a cold sweat and her heart pounding, her nightmares were filled with horrific images and dark places, sort of like the one she was currently in if it not of been for the candle burning across the room, it took her a few moments to realize where she was and that she was indeed safe..

Gigi was fast asleep in the bed across from her as she looked around the room, she wasnt use to sleeping like this, for weeks now she was literally sleeping minutes at a time and she was always on guard, it was odd being here and actually sleeping, her body wasnt use to it.

She climbed from the bed, wanting to find rex and make sure he was ok. The last she had seen him he was playing cards with some of the guys and he had actually seemed to lighten up a bit which was saying something..

She grabbed the candle from the dresser and made her way out into the dark hallway, even though she knew that they were essentially out of harms way she couldnt help the anxiety running through her at every noise and crack of the floor boards..

Every room she passed was occupied with people sleeping and snoring, it was an unusual sound especially considering the circumstances outside the walls..She made her way back to the large sitting room that was now empty except for some beer cans on the floor and a deck of cards on the table, apparently Rex went to sleep after all, she turned to leave the room and banged her leg on a table in the process making her wince as she nearly dropped the candle but what happened next she wasnt expecting cause literally right in front of her face as she turned was that same crossbow aimed at her face..


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Natalie stumbled back as she blinked in shock at the crossbow in her face but just as quickly it was down as John looked at her..

"creeping around in the middle of the night will get you killed" he said as he shook his head and walked past her and into the large room..

"I wasnt creeping" she said nervously as he made his way across the room..

"trying to make a run for it then" he said dryly as he took a seat on one of the chairs..

"No, I um...i couldnt sleep" she fidgeted some as he looked up at her..

"well you should try cause tomorrow is gonna be a big day, we all earn our keep around here" he said as he leaned his head back some but still kept the crossbow in his lap..

"Of course, me and rex will do whatever" she began as he kept his eyes closed..."i never got to properly thank you" she swallowed hard as he glanced at her now..

"its late, im tired" he said seriously as she gulped..

"is your arm ok" she couldnt help herself, he definitely was a man of few words but she owed her life to him, like literally..

"You have horrible aim, you shouldnt be carrying a gun if you dont know how to use it" he kept his eyes closed..She didnt know what to say as she stood there, apparently he was in a mood, she wondered if he was like this all the time.."Just try not to get yourself killed"he said dryly as she gulped..

"Im not, I mean, I wont" she said nervously as she stood there..He didnt say anything else as she stood there and she got the idea as she turned from him.."Goodnight...John" she said as she left the room and headed back down the hall, he definitely was a strange man and part of her couldnt help but feel a connection to him even though she didnt know why that was..

Natalie awoke to a ray of sun peering through the boarded up window and she groaned as she laid there but then within seconds she was sitting straight up as she looked around, the room was empty, she had no idea what time it was but she could hear voices down the hall, she rubbed her face as she got out of bed, heading to find the nearest bathroom..

It seemed the plumbing was still working at the building, which was a good thing cause she couldnt remember the last time she had a nice shower, she honestly could of stayed in there for hours if not for the fact that she knew that everyone was probably up already and she was right cause as she made her way down the hall she found everyone back in the large room, talking and joking over some instant coffee..

"hey sleepy head, your awake" Gigi smiled big as she came over to Natalie.."its not the best but its coffee" she said as she handed Natalie a cup.. rex was standing off to the side, seemingly in deep conversation with some of the guys, but John was no where in sight..

Natalie took a sip of the hot liquid, she was surprised at how nice it tasted.."what are they talking about" she asked Gigi..

"their going for a run" Gigi said nonchalantly..

"a what?" Natalie nearly spit out her coffee..

"we need more supplies" Gigi continued..

Natalie didnt wait for her to finish as she walked over to Rex.."Your not going Rex" she said quickly as he looked at her, embarassment washing over him..

"uh yeah I am Nat" he said quickly as everyone looked at her..

"You are not going back out there" she said again as a few laughs could be heard and rex straightened up some..

"Nat were not doing this right now, im going" he said quickly..

"The kid is going" the sound of Johns voice came into the room as he entered and they all looked at him..

"its dangerous out there" natalie began as she looked at John, she wasnt about to let her brother head back out into that crazy world, she just wouldnt..

"and everyone has a part to do" John said dryly..."were leaving in five minutes" he said as he went to turn around..

"Excuse me" Natalie snapped as gasps could be heard and John stopped only to slowly turn and face her..

"You got a problem?" he said with anger rising in his voice..

"i wouldnt do that" Gigi whispered to her..

"yeah actually I do" Natalie said quickly as she stood there, she may be quite and shy but when it came to the safety of her brother she would fight an army for him..

"Nat seriously" Rex said with a red face..

"looks like your mommy is putting you in time out" one of the guys laughed and then John looked at him hard and he quickly shut up..

"come with me...now" John said to her in a serious tone as he quickly left the room..

"why are you doing this Nat, your the one who pushed for us to come here" rex began..

"and im not about to watch you go back out there" she said quickly..

"Im not gonna ask again" John said as he stood in the hall..

"You should um...go" Gigi nudged her and Natalie huffed, she wasnt in the mood, her brother wasnt leaving and that was that..She quickly headed out of the room..

John was staring at her as she got into the hallway.."dont every try and over throw what I say, ever again" he was pissed and well, so was she..

"we just got here, you cant just send him out right away" Natalie began..

"I can and I will, I told you everyone has a part here" he said firmly..

"and so your just gonna run back out there with those things all over the streets" she snapped..

"would you rather we just stay put and wait til we all starve to death, or better yet lets just sit around singing Kumbaya while holding hands" he said sarcastically as she blinked in shock.."It is a do or die world and unless you want to die" he said as he walked closer to her.."do you?"

"No I dont but" she began as he shook his head..

"then you let your brother do what he has to do" he said sternly..

"what if something happens" she said quickly, her voice laced with grief..

"shit happens all the time, thats life" he said coldly..

"he is all I have" her voice squeaked with emotion as she stood there..He seemed to contemplate for a moment as he stood there.."if something happens to him" she couldnt hold back the fear she felt.

"give him some credit, he did keep you alive for months" John said quickly..

"promise me you wont let anything happen to him" she said with tears in her eyes..

"You cant ask me that" John turned from her..

"so you get to force people to go and yet you dont need to take responsibility" she said in tears..

"everyone makes their own choice, he wants to go" he snapped at her, getting more angry by the second..

"How many have you lost already out there" she said with tears streaming down her face.."How many" she yelled now..

"Fine... god damn it, FINE" he yelled back at her as she blinked in shock.."You got my word, happy now" he snapped and then turned from her and stormed down the hallway as she stood there..

"You really shouldnt piss him off" Gigi said as she came up to natalie..

Natalie really didnt want to hear that now and so she walked past Gigi and over to her brother who was staring at her with embarassment as he shook his head.."i want to go Nat, need to go" he began but all she did was put her arms around him and hug him tight as the others began to gather their things..

"I swear to god rex you better not get yourself killed" she said as she hugged him, she couldnt ever remember being this scared for him, not ever..

Natalie was a nervous wreck as some of the guys took off, her brother included, she couldnt help but think about if they came back without him, could she even trust any of them..

"He'll be fine you know" Gigi said as though she could sense Natalie's uneasiness.."John gave his word, he never does that"

"why is he like that, I mean I get that this world has gone to shit" natalie said honestly..

"he's been through a lot, we all have" Gigi shook her head as if reliving a horrible memory..

"do you think it is ever going to get better" natalie said honestly..

"who knows as far as we can tell the government is gone" Gigi shook her head..

"i am glad were here" natalie said softly..

"Im glad your here too" Gigi smiled.."come on lets cook some food, they should be back soon" she finished as she took natalie's hand and off they went..

Meanwhile across town the guys were inside a local pharmacy grabbing medication and whatever canned food they could get.."Lets hurry up, I wanna get out of here before" John began to say as a loud crash was heard and then chaosis was heard as he went off running towards it and at the back of the store two of the dead walkers were grabbing onto Jeffrey was trying to fight them off..

"get em off of me!" he yelled as he tried to grab at his knife..

Rex was running over too with a large axe in his hand.."I got you man" he yelled but out of no where another one of the dead grabbed his ankle as he tumbled to the ground and he yelled out as he kicked at it..

John turned his head for a split second to see Rex on the ground and fighting off one of the things and within seconds jeffrey was yelling out as a chunk was bitten from his arm as Steele stabbed the thing in the head and Jeffrey cried out in pain as John ran over to Rex and right before the thing on the ground could make a meal of him he put an arrow in his head as Rex scrambled to his feet..

"what the hell were you thinking, I said eyes open at all times" John yelled at him..

"I was, I did" Rex began to say frantically..

"Oh fuck man, jeff is bad, real bad" Cris said as John brought his attention back to them and quickly went over as jeff laid on the ground in the pool of his own blood..

"Just leave me" Jeff yelled out as rex watched in horror..

The sound of he place becoming overrun by the dead echoed through the small store.."FUCK!" John yelled as he stood there.."Lets go...lets go" he yelled as the guys began to pile out of the store but rex stood there just staring at the kid on the ground.."do I fucking stutter, GO!" John yelled at Rex as he grabbed out his knife and then Rex was running to the door, he could vaguely hear Jeff gasping for air and he was half sure that he heard him tell John to just do it, to end it and as Rex turned and looked as he got outside he watched as John drove a knife right through his head..

The food supply was definitely running thin in the large motel but it was more then natalie had seen in awhile, even though most of it was in cans it looked better then anything she had seen in quite sometime..

"is marcie worried about the baby" Natalie said as her and Gigi prepared food, she couldnt help but wonder how frightening it seemed to bring a child into this world..

"would you be?" Gigi shook her head.."but it is what it is" she began..

"i know its just... I mean to bring a child into this world" natalie began as Marcie entered the kitchen..

"its a blessing not a curse" she said defensively as Natalie and Gigi looked at her..

"Oh I wasnt saying" natalie began apologetically..

"atleast something wonderful can come out of all of this" Marcie continued as she rubbed her belly..

"can I?" Natalie asked as she put her hand out..

"sure" Marcie lightened up some as Natalie touched her belly and she felt the baby move, it was an amazing feeling and she smiled some, maybe it wasnt so bad after all.."It will take John some getting use to but he will come around, its not everyday you become an uncle" she smiled and Natalie blinked in shock..

"Uncle?" she with confusion..

"John and Michael are brothers, totally different then one another but still" Marcie grinned..

"Oh...i didnt know" natalie began..

"Yeah well its not like he is shouting it from the rooftops or anything" Marcie shook her head..

"well Michael is thrilled and that is all that matters Marce" Gigi interjected with a smile..

"are the guys back yet" Vange interupted as she came into the kitchen, already with attitude on her voice..

"dont you mean John" Gigi said with a sarcastic laugh but Vange didnt laugh back, she just glared at her, then at Natalie and finally at Marcie..

"Oh laugh it up Gigi but while you are doing that maybe you should be a bit more concerned about yourself" she said in a wicked tone.."atleast I am here cause Im a benefit to this place" she rolled her eyes at them all...

"You got something to say Vange, then say it" Gigi snapped at her..

"I wouldnt even waste my breathe" Vange said as she turned from them and stormed out..

"what is her deal" Natalie said with a shake of her head..

"Oh she is just so far up Johns ass it isnt even funny" marcie said with a huff.."But she is barking up the wrong tree" she said a bit loud as Gigi began to laugh..

"You are so bad Marce" Gigi laughed..

"Hey I may be pregnant but I can still kick some ass" marcie grinned..

Natalie couldnt help but smile, she liked these girls, she liked them a lot..

Dinner was just about done by the time the guys got back, as soon as natalie heard them she ran down the hall to make sure rex was ok, she had been so worried about him since he left and when she saw him she couldnt help but grab him into a huge bear hug but the mood with the guys was definitely a somber one, she could sense it right away..

"Im gonna go talk to Vince" John said as he quickly walked away and the rest of the guys just sort of hung their heads down as they left the room..

"whats wrong" Natalie asked with concern as she looked at her brother..

"its not good nat" Rex said as he ran a hand through his scraggily hair and she could immediately sense something was wrong..

"rex what is it" she said with increasing concern..

"we lost someone today" he said with a shake of his head, his voice just above a whisper..

She gasped loud as she covered her mouth.."Oh my god, who" she said as she tried to remember who had gone and who wasnt accounted for, this just made everything seem so real..

"its my fault Nat, I shouldnt of been so reckless" he said as he hung his head down..She didnt even know what to say, she was in shock but also happy to see Rex was unharmed.."You remember that guy Jeff" he began quietly as natalie's eyes got wide, he had been the one messing with the two way radio all day yesterday..

"Oh god" she said in shock..

"it happened so fast, there was no time and if I had been paying attention" Rex shook his head, he was clearly overcome with grief..

"Listen rex, it was dangerous going out there to start with" she began as she looked at him, she wanted to somehow make him feel better..

"he's dead because of me" Rex finally snapped as he walked away from her and she stood there completely in shock..

The news of Jeff's passing hit the group pretty hard and at dinner no one seemed to want to eat at all. Poor Dani had been a crying mess ever since she heard the news and rex had stayed in his bed. No one was coming out and blaming him but natalie knew her brother, of course he would take something like this hard..

John and Vince as well as Steele had been in a meeting since they got back, as more details began to come out natalie couldnt help but feel gratitude for John, he had saved Rex and he barely knew him and in doing so one of their own was killed, she felt horrible yet glad that her brother was still alive. She wanted to say something to John, anything but she didnt know what..He had kept his word, he had looked out for Rex and that meant more to her then anything..

"we should of never taken more people in" Vange began to say angrily as they all sat in silence in the large sitting room but her words made everyone look up, including Natalie.."You all might not have the balls to say it but I will, Jeff was a damn good guy" she snapped as she stared straight at natalie who wanted nothing more then to hide her head in the sand.."what a fucking waste" she said as she stood now..

"thats enough Vange" John said as he entered the room..

"Like hell it is, you brought them here and now one of our own is dead" she snapped at John with tears in her eyes, Natalie was fighting back her tears as well..

"No one forced him to come, it was a routine run!" John snapped angrily..

"yeah with an amatuer tagging along" she yelled.."How could you turn your back on him, it should have been that kid laying dead somewhere" she yelled and natalie couldnt take anymore as she jumped up, tears streaming down her face as she rushed out of the room, gigi tried to stop her but she pushed past her..

"Your just an evil person, how could you say something like that" Gigi snapped at Vange..

"because its true!" Vange yelled at her..

"I said ENOUGH" John barked loudly as they all looked at him.."you need to calm the hell down" he pointed at Vange..

"Unbelievable" she huffed at him and stormed out of the room quickly, Vince following after her down the hall..

"she shouldnt be able to just say stuff like that, were all human beings here" Gigi said angrily..

"Listen were all upset ok and yelling at each other isnt going to bring him back" Steele said as he tried to be the voice of reason..John quickly backed out of the room and stormed down the hallway, he was about to give Vange a piece of his mind when he heard crying coming from another room and he couldnt help himself as he walked over to it. Natalie sat on her bed with her hands in her head, she felt horrible for the poor kid who lost his life..

John must of made a sound by the door cause natalie looked up as he stood there.."i am so sorry, I never wanted anything like this to happen" she said with tears..

"he knew what he was getting himself into" John said a bit coldly..

"But im sure he didnt think, I mean, my god" she cried as she sat there and covered her face again, John didnt deal well with crying, especially when it came from women..

"its the world we live in now, we all just need to move on" he said quickly as he spun from the door..

"you kept your word" she finally called out as she began to walk away and he stopped but he didnt turn and face her..

"I always keep my word" he said and then he was gone and Natalie broke down in tears once more..

Later on that night, Natalie had spoken to Rex, his guilt was incredible like hers and both of them were wondering if this was going to change things for them, would they be unwanted there now, would they be forced to leave..

"im gonna talk to the guys" rex had finally said after wallowing in his own self pity, he knew that going back out there with natalie would surely be a death sentence for them both and he had to somehow make things right again..

"Rex if they make us leave" natalie said with worry and fear in her voice..

"then we do what we have to do but I promise you that we will be ok" he said softly as he looked at her..

"i dont want to go back out there Rex, I just cant" she said with fear..

"No one is going anywhere" the sound of Johns voice entering the room made them both look as he walked in.."I need to speak to Rex...alone" he finished as Natalie swallowed hard..

"its ok, everything is gonna be fine" Rex said to her reassuringly even though deep down he didnt know how any of this would turn out..

"Ok" Natalie said quietly as she stood now and John moved off to the side, she contemplated saying something to him but she decided that now was not the time and so she left, hoping that whatever the two of them talked about didnt end with her and Rex being tossed on their butts..

It felt like hours as she paced In the hallway outside of the door but in reality it was only minutes, she was a nervous wreck wondering how this outcome would be..

"Hey you ok?" Steele asked as he came down the hallway and walked over to natalie..

"not really" she said honestly as she stood there..

"Listen dont be too hard on yourself, vange has a way with words" he began as natalie shook her head..

"we didnt mean to come here and start trouble" she looked at the ground, she felt like shit..

"Listen the fact that John even brought you both back here means something ok, trust me it isnt like him" he said as she kept staring down.."Jeff was a good guy but everyone knows there is no guarentee in this world, especially now"

"But I feel so bad" she said as tears began to well up again..

"ah come on, dont cry" he said with a shake of his head..

"Im sorry im just" she quickly wiped her eyes..

"come here" he said as she looked up at him and then surprisingly he hugged her, like really hugged her and at that moment it all was just too much, she began to break down as he tried to soothe her but within seconds the door opened and John stepped out, stopping as he watched them embrace..Natalie looked up at John as she moved her head from Steele's chest..

"why arent you on watch" he said quickly as he stood there..

"I was... Matt took over so I could" Steele said and natalie immediately felt tension as she slowly moved away from Steele, John looked pissed and she just didnt get it..

"yeah, apparently so" John said sarcastically as he walked past them..

"John...hey...wait up" Steele said as natalie took the opportunity to quickly go back into Rex's room..He was sitting on the bed and he looked up as she came over..

"its all good" was all he said as she stood there and even though she knew all wasnt really good for now it was good enough...

"John...do you hear me" Steele called out as he walked quickly up to John who stopped dead in his tracks, making Steele nearly bumped into him..

"what the hell are you doing man" John snapped at him..

"what? I came by to see if everything was ok" Steele said quickly..

"You know what, forget it" John said angrily as he spun around..

"Hey, what the hell man" Steele grabbed his arm and John spun around..

"you know we all have to live in this fucking place and I would appreciate it if you didnt try to get into every womans pants that lives here" he snapped at Steele..

"what? Your not seriously throwing out accusations, are you" steele said sarcastically..

"tensions are fucking high right now and the last thing this place needs is more drama" John snapped..

'the only one I see making drama is you, what the hell has gotten into you" Steele said quickly...

"am I the only one here who doesnt feel the impending danger all around us, I mean for fucks sake Steele were fucking dying out here" John snapped..

"woo ok, hold up, im not some child, I know what were up against" he snapped back at him..

"yeah well maybe you should worry a bit more about that then trying to fuck anything that walks" John spun from him..

"what the fuck man" Steele yelled..

"im not in the mood" John said as he continued walking..

"we all lost someone here John" Steele snapped and John spun around..

"You dont need to fucking remind me of that, im reminded every day now get your shit together and do your job instead of trying to make a pass" John snapped..

"Oh now this is fucking priceless, what are you fucking jealous, do you think that since you brought her here that you have some kind of claim on her" Steele snapped and within seconds John was in his face..

"Your job is to be out there, watching not in here trying some bullshit" John yelled..

"what the fuck is going on in here" Vincent said as he came over to the both of them..

"You know what, nothing, absolutely fucking nothing" John snapped as he stormed away..

"whatever man" Steele snapped as he spun and stormed down the hall as Vincent stood there, not knowing what the hell he had just walked up on..


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Later on that night John sat perched on the roof, his mind in a million places as he stared out at the small grouping of dead that walked aimlessly around. It wasnt even worth putting an arrow in their head at the moment and even though their low groans and moaning filled the air, well it was almost peaceful out here..

"Hows it going bro" Michael said as he came up and John glanced at him..

"same shit, different day" John said as he looked back out into the darkness..

"I heard you and Steele got into it" Michael began as he came closer..

Michael was always the voice of reason, even when they were kids. It seemed his sole purpose in life was to help people, so it wasnt much of a surprise that before all of this started he had been a doctor and a damn good one at that..

"Let me guess your here to fix things?" John said a bit sarcastically.."dont waste your breath, he needs to get his priorities in order"

"Trust me I dont even want to go there" Michael said as he came over to John and looked out.."theres more of them today" he said as he looked down..

"not too much that I cant handle, why arent you sleeping" John said as he stared back out over the roofs edge..

"I dont know, just cant I guess" Michael shrugged his shoulders..

"Marce ok?" John said as he didnt get his eyes off the dead below..

"yeah, she's always ok, she's a lot stronger then i give her credit for" Michael said honestly.."everything is going to be ok, right?" the worry in Michaels voice was undeniable, it made john look at him..

"everything is going to be fine" John said quickly as the two brothers shared a look.."I'll probably go out for a run tomorrow again and grab some stuff, she should be popping soon, cant have the kid sleeping on the floor" John said nonchalantly..

Michael couldnt help but smile.."wow is that sentiments I hear"

"shut up" John shook his head but with a slight smile on his face..

"i still cant believe im gonna be a dad, I dont know the first thing about kids" Michael said honestly..

"are you kidding, you have spent your life taking care of people" John shook his head..

"its different when they are strangers" Michael began.."You remember when we were kids and I found that bird with the broken wing" he began to reminise..

"How could I forget, you damn near nursed that thing back to health and then it wouldnt leave you alone" John smirked..

"Mom wanted to kill me" Michael grinned..

"yeah she wasnt happy about that thing flying around the house" John grinned some and then both guys got quiet..

"i think about her a lot...I always wonder how her and dad would have been if they were here" Michael said quietly but John didnt respond as he stared back out..

"You got a minute John" the sound of Evange's voice cut through the silence as Michael looked up and John sighed..

"im gonna go check on marce, let me know if you need me to take over" Michael said as he turned from his brother.."Vange" he said a bit coldly towards her..

It wasnt a shock that most of the people there hated that women. Vange wasnt an easy person to get along with. John had known her for quite some time, even before all of this craziness began.. She used to be a great defense lawyer and in his previous line of work he had dealt with her often..Times were so different now though.

"i brought you a drink" she said as she came over with a cup of coffee in hand in which he took.."Its quiet out here tonight" she said as she looked out into the darkness..

"not quiet enough" he said dryly over the sounds of moaning coming from below..

"Im sorry I yelled at you earlier" she said softly as he looked at her..

"dont worry about it, its been a long week" he said as he sipped the coffee..

"You now I have only the best intentions for our group, right?" she asked as he looked at her, he knew this would be leading somewhere but he let her speak.."I'm not saying you were wrong by bringing them here but"

"Vange, it is what it is..you know better then anyone that there is strength in numbers" he began...

"But its also accomidations and food we cant spare" she began..

"I couldnt just leave them out there, they would of died" he said honestly..

"they old John I know wouldnt of made that his responsibility" she said quickly as she went to touch his arm and he moved back some..

"yeah well that John isnt here anymore" he said as he looked back out over the roof and she swallowed hard..

"You cant save them all John, and the more you try, the more you put us all in harms way" she began as he looked at her now..

"it was two people, thats all and I really dont feel like explaining myself anymore, ok" he said a bit coldly..She got quiet for a moment as she stood there.."You should try and get some sleep" he said as he kept staring out..

Natalie couldnt sleep as she laid in bed.. The tensions in the house had lessened some but she still couldnt help but think about John, he had really gone out on a limb for her and Rex, she wanted to thank him and so she found herself getting out of bed and heading to find him, and she knew where that would be, on the roof..

She had heard voices as she made her way up to the stairs to the roof and she stopped when she heard who it was, it was that bitch Evange and Natalie couldnt help but stand there and ease drop. John didn't sound very happy as he spoke to her and natalie couldnt help the small feeling of joy from that. That women really was nothing but a cold hearted bitch and natalie didnt like her at all..

"You should try and get some sleep" he finished as natalie backed up some into the shadows so that the bitch wouldnt see her and within seconds an annoyed Vange was heading down the hall, huffing and puffing under her breath. Natalie took the opportunity to step onto the roof and before she said anything John did as he kept looking out into the night.."I mean it Vange, im not in the mood" he snapped a bit as he spun his head around and he blinked a bit in shock as Natalie stood there..

"sorry I didnt mean to" she began apologetically as she stood there nervously..He seemed to lighten his stance some..

"what are you doing up here" he said as he ran a hand through his untamed hair..

"couldnt sleep" she forced the words out as she stood there and then she walked on the roof some more.."its nice out tonight" she said as she walked over, the weather was actually pretty nice, it was nearly fall now and the breeze outside was welcoming..He didnt say anything as she came over and peeked over the roof and gasped some at the dead walking around.."will they get in?" she said with a bit of fear..

"the place is boarded up down there unless they figure out how to break through wood" he said a bit dryly and she relaxed some but it was still a shock seeing that many dead moving around down there..

"its so strange just seeing them moving around like that" she said honestly as she looked back down again, it really was something just watching them, especially when they werent gnawing on flesh, they almost seemed human, almost..

"I will have to take some out by tomorrow, cant let them get too big in numbers" his voice had a chill to it and she swallowed hard as she looked at him but he kept staring out..

"i um..." she began as he looked at her.."I wanted to thank you for what you did for me and Rex, it means alot" she said honestly..

"who am I to play judge and juror" he said and then looked back out..

"I know but you didnt have to go out on a limb like that and we appreciate it" she said quickly..

"Yeah well just try not to get yourself killed" he said coldly and she nodded her head quickly..

She didnt want the conversation to end so quickly and she could tell it was going there and so she changed the subject quick, hoping it would work.."how did you learn to use that thing" she said as she gestured to his cross bow and he glanced at her now..

"It does the job and its a hell of a lot quieter then a gun" he said quickly as he looked back at his crossbow..

"Can I?" she said as she put her hand out and he looked at her a bit shocked..

"You wanna hold it?" he said with wide eyes.."it probably weighs more then you do" he said dryly..

"its ok you dont need to" she said as she shook her head and backed up some..

He sighed heavily as if in some kind of internal conflict.."dont drop it or shoot anything off" he said quickly as she glanced up and he pulled it over his head.."Its heavy and the arrows are sharp as hell" he said as he held it out to her and she moved closer to touch it..

It was a smooth dark metal with designs all over the handle, it looked like one kick ass crossbow, she had never seen one like this up close..

"here" he said as he closed in the distance with her.."its heavy" he said as he began to put it over her head so that the straps rested on her shoulders and he wasnt kidding it was heavy as hell but she could barely concentrate on that cause he was so close and even better looking then she had first thought, she could see the lines of worry that had grown on his face, most of his scruffy facial hair covered it and he smelt surprisingly good. She inhaled deep as his pure man scent filled her nose as she tried to act unaffected..

The muscles in his arms bulged as he put the cross bow over her.."Now when I let go you will feel all the weight, you ready for that" he asked with a husky voice as she nodded her head, damn she was nearly speechless now as she stared at him and he slowly let go of the bow and she gasped..

"wow that is heavy" she said straining under the heavy weight but it was somewhat empowering to feel that kind of weight on her and then she saw a glimpse of a smile from him as he shook his head.."what?" she laughed a bit nervously..

"If you could see yourself right now" he shook his head as he kept his composure..

"do I look like I am ready to kick some zombie ass" she smirked as she stood there, barely holding the weight of the bow up..

"yeah..something like that" he grinned, and he had a nice smile, a really nice one.."Now you see right here, this is the trigger and trust me when you shoot one of those arrows out, if you dont have the right footing you will knock yourself on the ground, it has about 160 pounds of pressure behind it" he continued..

"wow, thats crazy" she said honestly.."Can I try?" she asked as his eyes got wide and then he laughed some, like genuinely laughed..

"You wanna shoot one?" he laughed.."Did you not just hear what I said, 160 pounds of pressure is enough to knock you unconscious" he shook his head..

"it doesnt knock you out" she said quickly, she just didnt want to break this close contact with him and if it meant knocking herself out cold then so be it..

"and im not 90 pounds wet" he shook his head as he went to take it off of her but she backed up some..

"Im a lot tougher then I look" she said quickly and he rolled his eyes..

"you really want to do this?" he said more like a statement..

"theres a first time for everything" she attempted to shrug her shoulders but they didnt budge with the weight on them..

He ran a nervous hand through his hair as he stood there.."if you end up getting hurt then im not to blame"

"fair enough, so how do I shoot this thing" she smiled and he rolled his eyes again and then walked over to her again..

"well first your not standing correct, you need to balance out your weight like this" he said as he stood with his legs open some and she attempted to do the same and almost fell but he grabbed her waist.."Just open your legs, I got ya" he said as he held one hand on her hip and she could barely concentrate, his hands found powerful and strong and they were on her.."good, now lean back some so that the weight is supported" he continued as he moved behind her and she sucked in a deep breath as he pulled her shoulders back, he was literally so close that she could feel his body heat radiating off of him.."You feel how the weight has moved?" he said as he stood directly behind her, he couldnt help but inhale the scent of her hair, damn she smelt good..

"Yes" she said with a heavy breath..

"good now pull back here and fell the arrow tense under the pressure" he said as she tried to pull back on the lever but to no avail.."Like this" he said as his hand grazed down her arm to her hand as he yanked the small lever back and she gulped at the feeling of his rough hand holding onto her wrist.."good, now aim towards the wall beside the door" he positioned her some more and she sucked in a deep breath.."Relax, your the one in control of the bow, not the other way around" his voice was so gruff and raw in her ear, she couldnt help but wonder what it would feel like with that mouth all over her..

"Like this" her voice was above a whisper as she turned her head some and his face was like literally there next to hers as he looked at her..His lips looked oh so kissable and she ached to touch his face and feel the coarse hair beneath her fingers..His eyes drifted to her lips and then back to her eyes and she unconsciously bit at her lips as her eyes began to get heavy as she looked at him and like in slow motion his mouth moved to hers but before their lips met her hand slipped causing the bow to go flying upwards as she stumbled back and the roof door open as Vincent nearly got caught in the line of fire..

"look out!" John yelled as Vincent darted just in the knick of time as the bow slammed into the door..

"wooo!" Vincent said in shock as Natalie tried to get her footing, her face was flushed now and her heart was racing..

"Shit" John snapped as he began to grab the bow from her.."You cant lose concentration" he snapped at her as Vincent looked at them and she honestly didnt know what to say, how the hell could he go from hot to cold so fast..

"I didnt know you were giving crossbow lessons up here" Vincent said with a smirk..

"I wasnt" John said dryly as he took the crossbow from her..

"Well im gonna go to bed" she finally said quickly as she walked past John and then Vince.."Goodnight" she said as she got off the rooftop and Vince raised an eyebrow at John..

"so what exactlly did I walk in on here" he asked quizically..

"nothing" john said quickly as he walked to the door and pulled off his bow..He didnt turn back around to face Vince as he stepped through the doorway.."Im gonna take a shower" he said as he walked away..

"Im sure you are John, im sure you are" Vince smirked as he made his way to the edge of the roof..

Natalie could barely think as she got back down the stairs and headed down the hall, she was sure her heart would literally burst, had they almost kissed, it seemed like they had, she couldn't even process what had happened and right about now all she wanted to do was take a very very cold shower but as she went to pass by Rex's room she heard voices talking and she slowed down only to see Gigi sitting on the edge of his bed. They were both in very close proximity to each other and Rex was touching her hair as they spoke. Natalie couldnt help but grin, maybe it was something in the water..

She continued on down the dimly lit corridor, stopping at the bathroom, she would just take a quick shower and clear her mind and so without thinking she yanked open the door just in time to see Steele standing there butt ass naked..

"Oh my god" she said in shock as she promply swung around..."I didnt know anyone was in there" she said with embarassment, I mean seriously could this night get anymore awkward..

"i guess were all having a hard time sleeping" he said as he wrapped a towel around his waist and she kept her back turned..

"well I will leave you to it" she said as she went to quickly walk away but he spoke first..

"its alright, im done anyway, I cant guarentee there is any hot water in there" he began as she nervously laughed..

"thats ok, I can do without hot" she began as he walked around her..

"You know if you cant sleep we can play a game of cards" he began as she looked every where but at him, it wasnt that he had a bad body, actually he was quite built and muscular, but he was damn near naked in front of her..

"oh I dont know" she began to ramble as he smirked..

"well the offer stands if you change your mind" he grinned as he began to walk down the hall just in time for John to enter it, neither of them said anything to each other as he walked past but John did find the time to roll his eyes at the half naked guy but then his eyes locked in on Natalie who was standing there looking completely embarassed..She didnt wait to further embarrass herself as she quickly got in the bathroom and closed the door, leaning against it as she took a much needed deep breath..


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

By the next day it seemed like everything was really calming down at the motel and everyone seemed to be In really good spirits, well except for John, he had apparently taken off on a run first thing in the morning and Natalie couldnt help but be worried about it..What if something happened to him?

"Isnt today a great day" Gigi said as she came up with a huge smile on her face as natalie peered out one of the cracks on the boarded up window, she was so lost in thought that she barely heard her friend speak.."Nat? Everything ok?" she asked again with a bit of worry in her voice, but this time natalie turned quickly and looked at her..

"Yeah..sorry I was just" she began to ramble some as the sound of Johns motorcycle could be heard pulling up and Natalie couldnt help but look out again..

"Oh...i see" Gigi smirked as she nudged natalie..

Relief flooded through her to see John pulling up but she quickly hid it as she looked back at Gigi.."what?" she tried to be nonchalant..

"You were worried about John" Gigi raised an eyebrow..

"what? No..." Natalie moved from the window quickly as her face began to turn red.."i was just seeing what it was like outside today" she lied quickly..

"Sure you were..." Gigi laughed.."You got a thing for John" she blurted out as Natalie spun and looked at her with wide embarassed eyes..

"No I dont" she said a bit defensively as Gigi shook her head and rolled her eyes..

"Its not a bad thing" Gigi said honestly as natalie relaxed some..

"is it...is it that obvious" Natalie finally sighed..

"Uh yeah.." Gigi came closer to her.."so...?"

"so?" Natalie swallowed hard..

"Lord girl.." Gigi laughed as she shook her head.."so are you gonna make a move or what"

"oh no...no no...I wouldnt" Natalie began as she shook her quickly..

"why the hell not" Gigi laughed just as John came walking from down the hall, natalie turned and looked at him, he looked wonderful wearing a black leather jacket, looking like a rebel but he didnt look at her, not even once and that sucked..He made his way over to his brother as Natalie sighed.."I could talk to him for you" Gigi snapped her out of her staring..

"what? Oh my god, please dont" Natalie said with a mortified tone..

"Ok ok I wont but really Nat, you should make a move" Gigi continued..

Natalie desperately wanted to change the subject, she would just die if John overheard them talking plus he wouldnt even look at her now.."I saw you and rex last night" she blurted out as Gigi's eyes got wide and then she began laughing as a few people looked at them..

"can I assume you two hit it off" Natalie smirked some now..

"Your not mad are you?" Gigi said seriously.."cause I swear we didnt do anything, we just talked" she said nervously..

"Im not mad, I think its pretty cool that Rex found someone" she said honestly as Gigi lightened up some..

"Your brother is pretty awesome, not to mention hot" Gigi grinned..

"TMI Gigi, TMI" natalie laughed as she shook her head and just then John walked by them but this time he glanced at Natalie for a second before leaving the room..

"you should talk to him" gigi said as natalie quickly looked away from john..

John made his way to the storage room they had made up and he began to grab extra knives and weapons as Steele came in the room and John stopped as he looked up at him..

"I heard you found a place with supplies for Marce" Steele began as John turned from him and continued to pick up items.."Listen Man, I wasnt trying to step on your toes" he began as John sighed..

"we dont have time for distractions Steele, its a do or die world, we need to keep our heads on straight" John said coldly..

"You know I would never do anything to put us all in danger" Steele continued as John looked at him.."Let me help you"

"Im leaving in ten" John said as he turned back around..

"i dont want to fight over some chick" Steele said quickly..

"well its a good thing were not" John said as he spun around and headed to the door.."be ready with the truck in ten" he said as he left the room..

John had slept like shit the night before, maybe getting a total of an hour of sleep, he couldn't stop thinking about her and about what almost happened..It had been quite sometime that he had let his guard down like that and he couldn't start now, too many people counted on him, including her.. But that didn't stop his mind from wandering to her, there was just something about her, something that tugged at him in a relentless sort of way, he hadn't felt that since.. well since forever..

John was never the social-able type, he had lived his life in such a way that he was practically closed off from everyone, emotionally at least. He had been an undercover FBI agent for the last ten years which meant moving from place to place, not keeping any ties to anyone and lying to everyone around him. It wasn't the most stand up job but it was his life and since everything went to shit things had changed drastically. He was now forced between four walls with people who looked at him for protection, support and help, he couldn't hide anymore.

And Natalie, well she was unlike the other women he had been with over the years. They had all served a purpose for him, whether to get information on a perp or for his own selffish desires, she was pure, innocent and just the idea of her was almost too much for him to bear..

He had dropped down his guard last night and he couldnt let that happen again, too much was at stake here and he couldnt throw it all away to be carefree with anyone, this world was very different now and well, so was he..

John was so lost in thought that he hadnt heard Rex come up as he stood off in another room just staring out the boarded up window.."I heard your going for supplies, I wanna come" he said as John turned now and faced the kid..

"we had a deal rex, you stay here and hold the fort down" John said quickly as he ran a hand through his hair, he had to get the thoughts of Natalie out of his head, she was way too much of a distraction..

" I know we agreed to that but I can help you out there" Rex began with a plead..

"you will stay and help here, I need someone I can trust in here" John began as he got to the door.."Just do as I tell you" he finished and then he was gone as Rex sighed, he hated feeling useless..

Natalie made her way down the hall, she had convinced herself to talk to John, to say something to him and as she headed down the narrow hall she saw him coming from a room, he stopped for a moment as he looked at her..She opened her mouth to say something to him but Cris's voice was heard as he entered the same hallway..

"the truck is loaded and ready to go" Cris said as he looked at John and then natalie who was now struck speechless..

"alright lets lock and load" John said quickly and then he was walking past natalie without saying a word as she stood there and watched him make his way down the hall..

"Im not going this time if thats what your wondering" Rex said from behind her and she jumped some as she faced her brother.."this sucks, I should be out there with them not sitting in here doing nothing"

"No you should be here, Rex its dangerous" she began..

"why does everyone treat me like im a kid, so I fucked up, once..." he huffed..

"rex I wasnt saying" she began but he was already walking past her as she sighed, atleast she didnt have to worry about her brother this time, if only everything could be so cut and dry..

Natalie spent the next hour helping some of the women do laundry, it seemed that everyone really did have a role to play here, plus it gave her time to get to know everyone..

"do you know what I really miss" one of the women by the name of Kelly began. She was in her mid thirties with very long blonde hair and a tall skinny frame, from what Natalie had learned she was married to one of the guys named kevin. They had both been editors of kevin's family's newspaper, a very influential couple before everything went to crap.."My coach bag" she sighed..

"I miss my shoes, I had a whole closet dedicated to them" another woman by the name of blair sighed, she too was married to a man named Todd, now them two were drama with a captial D, always bickering about something..

"what about you Natalie, what do you miss" a girl by the name of Jessica asked as they all looked at natalie, she felt totally out of her league here as she swallowed hard..

"Ummm..." she began as they looked at her.."a fresh boardwalk hot dog" she finally blurted out as they looked at her with wide eyes..

"a hot dog?" Blair shook her head in shock..

"Not just any hotdog, the ones they had on the boardwalk in AC" natalie finished..

"I miss those too" Gigi interjected as she came into the room and she smiled at Natalie..

"well I would take my coach bag over a hot dog anyday, do you know the amount of carbs in those" Kelly shook her head..

"I know...gross" Jessica said quickly as Natalie and Gigi looked at each other and smirked, talk about high maintenance..

"I miss being able to go out and enjoy the fall, watching the leaves change" marce said as they all looked at her and got quiet..

"its great were all sitting here reminising about hot dogs and purses, especially when we have lost some of our own" Vange snapped as she came in the room and they all looked at her..

"You know we dont always have to dwell on the negative, maybe you should try it sometime" Marce stood up to Vange as they all stood quiet, atleast the only thing they all had in common was their hatred of this woman..

"Oh thats great coming from the person who is bringing a child into this god awful world" Evange said sarcastically..

"You know we were having a pleasant conversation before you came around" jessica began..

"Oh please princess, the only reason you have even made it this far is because Brody found you hauled up in that fortress your daddy paid for" Evange said in a nasty tone..

"dont talk about my family" Jessica said defensively..

"Listen we should all just calm down" natalie finally interjected as Evange looked at her..

"and you...dont even let me get started on you" she rolled her eyes..

"Ive had just about enough of you" Gigi snapped as she got in front of Evange.."why are you here, huh... cause John felt sorry for you"

"Oh please like you know anything about me or about him for that matter, all of you are pathetic and you should be ashamed of yourselves" Evange snapped and then spun around..

"its not worth it" natalie said to Gigi who looked like she was going to pounce..

"atleast im not pinning for a guy who isnt interested" Gigi snapped as Evange stopped now and spun around..

"Gigi dont" Natalie said quickly..

"No...she deserves it" Gigi spat out quickly as she looked back at Evange.."John wouldnt give you the time of day even if you were the last woman on earth"

"You know I could make that an option" Evange said with a wicked smile..

"wow, crazy has left the station" kelly said with a laugh..

"You can all go to hell" Evange yelled as she stormed off and then jessica, kelly, blair and marce began to laugh..

"she is definitely a few beers short a case" Marce laughed..

By an hour later natalie was trying to keep herself busy, her mind kept going to John, they had been gone awhile and she couldnt help but worry, she hated that everytime they left it was a life and death situation, as she headed to her room she stopped when she heard crying and she stopped by a door to see the young girl Dani in her room with her head in her hands, crying..She felt horrible for this girl, she had lost her boyfriend in a tragic accident and she hadnt been the same since Jeffrey died..

Natalie knocked lightly as Dani looked up at her.."I dont feel like having company" Dani said as she wiped her eyes..

"Im sorry for your loss" Natalie said softly as Dani looked at her again..

"yeah well you should be" Dani snapped at her and Natalie swallowed hard as she stood there.."he died because of your dumb ass brother"

Natalie didnt even know what to say, she just stood there a bit in shock but within seconds the other young boy in the motel came over, his name was Matthew and he quickly walked in the room..

"You should go" he said coldly to Natalie as he walked over to Dani, natalie wanted to somehow make this better but she honestly didnt know how and so instead of trying to plead a case for Rex she walked away, feeling like complete shit..

Natalie made her way into her room and fell onto the bed, she could feel the tears already starting to fall, she really wasnt cut out for this world, it was so unfair and with that she cried until she fell asleep..

The feeling of been shook jarred natalie awake as she let out a yelp as she shoved the hands off of her body..

"Nat its just me" Gigi said as she stood hovering over her as Natalie squinted her tired eyes, gigi had a frantic look on her face and that made natalie sit straight up..

"whats wrong, is it Rex, are the guys back" Natalie said with panic as she looked around, it was getting dark out now, how long had she slept..

"No, he's fine and the guys arent back yet" Gigi began..

"they arent, why not..shouldnt they be back by now" natalie said with worry as she got up now and rubbed her eyes..

"they were heading across town, im sure they are fine but" her voice trailed and natalie saw the worry in her eyes, she couldnt even speak for a moment as she looked at Gigi.."Dani took off" she finally blurted out..

"what, when?" natalie said in shock.."where?"., she couldnt help the fear that ran through her body at the thought..

"not too long ago, we tried to stop her" gigi shook her head.."she was so upset"

"Oh god its all my fault" natalie began with guilt...

"No its not nat, you couldnt of prevented this" Gigi reassured her but It wasnt enough..

"Jeff is dead because of" natalie began as rex entered the room and she stopped in mid sentence..

"because of me, im gonna fix this" Rex said quickly..

"rex I wasnt gonna" Natalie began..

"its the truth, jeff is dead because of me" he began quickly..

"Rex we already talked about this, you couldnt of known" Gigi began as he shook his head..

"im going after her" he said as both girls looked at him with wide shocked eyes..

"what?" they said in unison..

"its the only way to fix this, she will die out there" he said as he spun for the door..

"Rex your not going" natalie snapped as she ran up to him..

"i caused this Nat, I cant just sit back and do nothing" Rex said quickly as he looked at her.."Im going, like it or not.." he said seriously..

"fine then im going too" Gigi blurted out as Natalie looked at her..

"what? Are you crazy, neither of you are going out there" Natalie said with fear..

"im sorry nat but you cant stop me this time" Rex said as he quickly made it down the hall and natalie blinked in shock as Gigi stood there..

"Im sorry nat I have to go" Gigi said as she began to run after rex, calling for him as she did so..

"shit!" natalie yelled out and then she was chasing after them.."wait for me...im coming too" she said quickly as she ran after them..

Natalie met Gigi and Rex in the supply room as they grabbed guns and knives, It was just becoming a reality that they were indeed heading out there, into the dangerous world yet again and it was nearly night fall..

"do you really think this is a good idea, its gonna be dark soon" natalie began as rex and Gigi continued grabbing weapons..

"You dont have to come nat, actually I would prefer you stay behind" Rex said quickly..

"Im not staying behind and letting you both do this alone" natalie said quickly..

"it'll be fine, she just left and headed into the woods out back, she cant be far" Gigi said as she hurried about...

"the woods?" natalie said as she swallowed hard..

"we dont have time to waste" Rex said as he spun from them and headed to the window that was by the fire escape..Natalie couldnt believe she was doing this, it was really dangerous but she couldnt just let them go out on their own and so she grabbed one of the hand guns and a large knife and followed them out the window..

"where are you guys going" marcie called out as they began to climb on the fire escape..

"looking for Dani, we'll be right back" rex said as he jumped to the ground, followed by Gigi..

"i dont think you should be doing that, its almost dark" she continued as she looked over the window..

"its fine, we will be back before you know it" Gigi said quickly as Natalie jumped down, a few of the dead were coming their way.."hurry up " she yelled to nat..

"cant you just wait til the guys get back" marcie said as natalie looked up at her..

"No time for that, we'll be quick...come on" Rex said quickly to the marcie and then the girls as they took off..

About 15 minutes later the guys showed up with boxes and boxes of stuff for the soon to be kid. It had been a fairly good run, no incidents which was good and relieving but as soon as they headed back into the motel they were met by a frantic Marcie who was going on and on, so much so that nothing she said made since..

"babe just relax" michael laughed some as John got to the window to grab more boxes..

"Just listen to me god damn it" she yelled now and it made John stop by the window.."they are gone, they left"

"your not maing any sense Marce" michael began..

"who left" John turned from the window..

"Rex, gigi and natalie, they...they went to find Dani" she said frantically..

"what!" both guys said in unison as John came rushing over just as steele entered the room..

"whats all the commotion" steele said as he looked at them..

"what do you mean they left" John cut off steele..

"who left?" steele said quickly..

"Dani got upset and took off in the woods and they went after her, I told them it was a bad idea" Marcie said with fear in her voice.."its gonna be dark soon"

"son of a bitch" John snapped as he stood there.."how long ago" John said as he grabbed a knife and picked up his cross bow..

"15 min ago" she said quietly..

"who left" Steele said again but he was ignored..

"unfucking real" John snapped as he ran to the window..

"hey wait up, im coming" Steele began to grab weapons..

"well then lets go...now" John was damn near frantic as they left and marcie hugged Michael quick..

"they shouldnt of left Michael, they shouldnt of" she said in fear as he held her..

"were gonna split up" John said as the guys got to the ground."and meet up in ten, they couldnt of gotten too far" john said as they both took off running. John knew that they had only a limited amount of time to find them in the light and then it was basically a death sentence..

Ten minutes later as Gigi, natalie and rex walked through the woods they were all thinking the same thing, this was a very bad idea, the dead were everywhere and the sun was going down..

"were not gonna find her like this" natalie said as they rushed through the woods calling out Dani's name..

"were not going back without her" rex said quickly.."DANI...DANI , where are you!" he yelled out..

"yelling is only causing attention" natalie said with worry in her voice, granted the dead things couldnt run but still, they could be seen all over the woods and everytime Rex or Gigi yelled out they turned towards them..

"Damn it natalie, she will die out here" rex yelled..

"Ok we dont need to start fighting ok" Gigi said quickly..

"do we even know where we are" Natalie continued..

"i know we should of left you at home" rex shook his head..

"well pardon me for being a bit freaked out with those things out here"Natalie snapped..

"yeah well talking about it every second isnt making it better" rex snapped with anxiety in his voice..

"listen why dont we all just calm down" Gigi began as Rex rolled his eyes and Natalie sighed..

"wait, did you hear that?" rex finally said as the girls looked at him.."come on this way" he said as he lead them deeper into the woods..

John made his way quickly through the woods, he was beyond pissed and worried.. What the hell were they thinking running off like that? "Natalie, Gigi, Rex, where the hell are you!" he yelled loudly..

As the sun began to set and the trio still walked around with dani no where in sight natalie finally spoke.."i think we should just turn around, soon it will be pitch black"

"You know rex I think nat is right, were gonna get turned around in here" Gigi began as rex looked at them..

"and just leave that poor girl out here and so that can be my fault too..." Rex shook his head.."No...i cant"

"listen no one is saying anything is your fault rex" natalie said quickly..

"Like hell their not, I did this, it was me, all me" Rex yelled..

"Please jus listen to what your sister is saying Rex,..Dani made the decision to go, no one forced her" Gigi said as she walked closer to rex..

"i cant" he said as he put his hands up to block her from coming any further.."i just cant"

"rex please" Natalie poured out emotion as she looked at her brother..

"I dont want to fail you Nat, I cant" he said with a shake of his head..

"you havent failed me Rex, you couldnt even if you tried" she said softly.."Please lets just go back"

He seemed to contemplate it for a moment as he stood there but it was cut short by the scream of Gigi as he spun his head around and they all witnessed as what could only be explained as a herd of dead were literally feet from them, there had to be atleast thirty of them..

"RUN!... NOW!" Rex yelled and none of them took the time to think as they all took off running..


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The three of them ran and ran as night falled, it seemed like everywhere they turned the dead were there waiting, shots rang in the dark night as fear and anxiety ran through them. The amount of dead in the woods was alarming and with the setting of the sun they were drifting further and further into the woods without even knowing it..

Natalie sent off another round of gun shots as she ran and then careened down into a ditch causing her to yell out as her ankle twisted something horrible but her screams went unfounded as Rex and Gigi kept firing off rounds as they ran..

"stop..dont leave me...dont go" natalie called out to them but it was useless, over the sounds of hoarding dead and gunshots her screams were unheard and within seconds she realized that she was not only completely alone but her ankle was terribly injured and twisted and she knew at that moment that it may just be her last..

John ran towards the gunfire that was going off like a war zone, his heart was beating horribly bad as he ran past dead after dead, it was like they all herded out in the woods, possibly in search of food but he couldnt think of that, three of their own was missing and in that three was Natalie herself..

He yelled frantically for her as he ran, his arrows taking out the dead as he made his way through the dark woods that was only merely lit by the moon now, this was looking worse and worse by the second and then he heard it, a scream and one that put a chill right down his spine, it was natalie, he just knew and so he ran even faster..

Natalie scrambled to get her gun from the ground as a nearby zombie stumbled her way and she tried to get to her feet, finally standing up as she limped on her bad foot..After another shot rang out from her gun it clicked and then clicked again as fear ran through her, she was out of ammo and with that she began to hobble as fast as she could through the mud and dirt..

She couldnt make heads or tails of anything out there, it was so damn dark, all she knew is that she had to keep moving, she just had to and with one of the dead literally behind her she moved as fast as she could..

She couldn't remember being more terrified then she was at that moment, all she had was a long knife but that would mean she would have to literally be in that things face and she didn't want to be anywhere near it but the inevitable happened, like out of some wicked horror movie she stepped on a branch the wrong way with her bad foot and she tumbled to the ground with a groan of pain, the dead thing tumbling after her as it landed directly on top of her..

She screamed as she kicked and shoved as the thing tried to bit against her repeatedly but thankfully she was able to keep the horrendous jaws away from herself..it honestly felt like all was lost, like now was her time, she would be eatened by this thing and then become one of them, the thought was horrifying as she watched her life flash before her eyes..

"Im so sorry Rex" she cried out as she accepted her fate and she closed her eyes to the inevitable but instead of feeling a bite to her neck she felt the sudden weight off of her and a thud on the ground as her eyes shot open and there he was, like an angel in a leather coat, it was John..

He had heard her screaming as he ran up and then he saw her on the ground with that thing literally inches from her face as she tried to fight it off, all he saw was red as he grabbed the thing by the back of the torn and dirty shirt, throwing it on the ground as he slammed a knife right into its skull..

"natalie... Natalie are you ok" he said damn near frantically as he rushed to her side as she began to sit up still a bit in shock.."are you bit?" he began to look her over and then she screamed again and he turned his head just in time to see yet another one of the dead coming at him but he acted quick and she watched like in slow motion as he got up and stabbed the thing right in the head as it fell down.."we have to go, we have to go now" he said as he turned to her and she tried to get to her feet but failed as she fell back down, the pain in her ankle too much to bear and his eyes darted to it as he quickly looked back out into the dark woods..

"I cant...i cant get up" she cried out as he reached down and grabbed her arm, yanking her up as she cried out in pain..

"listen to me, we need to get somewhere safe, we need to get out of here" he said anxiously as he looked at her and then back at the dead coming around them..All she could do was nod her head as tears streamed down her face and he put her arm over his shoulder as he began to walk them fast as she limped.."take this...and aim at the head" he said as he handed her a gun as they walked and she grabbed it in a hurry.. She let off round after round as they made their way through the woods only stopping for seconds at a time to take a breather..

"i cant go much further" she said in pain as they stopped..

"we cant just stop here, we have to keep moving" he said as he began to move her again and she nearly fell this time but he caught her..

"I cant, it hurts too bad" she cried out as he got her back up again..

"Natalie damn it listen to me, if we dont move we die.." he said as he kept looking around.."and were not dying tonight" he said as he looked at her..

"Ok ok" she said with tears as she moved with him..

They moved like that for another ten minutes as she began to tire out from exhaustion..Her legs would barely move and the pain in her ankle was unbearable now as her knees gave out and she fell right onto them as John fell down too.. She felt like her world was spinning, light and dark moving in front of her eyes and she could see John yelling something at her but she couldnt make it out and then everything just went black..

John yelled at her to keep her eyes open as he tried to get them up and then he watched as she passed out and now his worse fears were a reality, they were going to die,...tonight..

Natalie awoke with a jump as she went to scream out but a hand promply came over her mouth shutting her up as she blinked her eyes in shock..

"Your ok, were ok" John said as he looked at her.."dont scream" he said as she tried to even out her breathing and she just nodded her head as she looked at him.."they're up there" he said as he looked up at a ceiling and she glanced up and then around them, they were in some sort of basement, it was cold and moist, it smelt musty..

"where are we" she finally whispered as she felt relief wash over her, atleast for now they were safely hidden away from those things..

John stood as she began to sit up.."a cabin out in the woods, it was the only place I could find" he said as he walked over to one of the small windows and he looked out, she glanced down at her ankle that was now bandaged with something, it still hurt like hell but it felt better then it did when they were walking.."we dont have ice for your ankle but we have to keep it elevated, you sprained it really bad" he said as he looked back at her through the dimly lit basement, the sounds of groaning outside were getting louder and she could hear fumbling above them..

"Oh god" she said in fear as he walked over..

"they cant get in, for now" he finished as he looked at her..

"what about Rex and Gigi" she said as realization began to hit her..

"we cant worry about that right now, right now we have to just survive ok" he said as he knelt down and put a cinder block under her foot as she winced..

"How did we get down here" she asked as he looked at her...He looked worn out and exhausted and then it hit her.."oh my god you carried me down here" she said in shock..

"i take back you weighing 90 pounds" he said dryly as he got up and walked back to the window.."what the hell were you thinking Natalie leaving like that" he finally said after a few seconds and she gulped, he sounded pissed, now he looked at her.."You could of gotten yourself killed, you almost did" he shook his head with frustration..

"Dani took off" she began as he shook his head again..

"You know just forget it" he huffed as he looked back out the small window..

"im sorry" she said quietly but he didnt respond, she didnt know what to say, she owed him her life, yet again..

He did a lot of pacing and grumbling as he walked from window to window, she just watched from the floor unsure of what to say, she didnt want to piss him off anymore.."It'll be a few more hours until its light, you should sleep" he still had a cold tone about him..

"My brother is out there, so is Gigi" natalie said quietly as tears began to fill her throat..

"Im sure they are fine, your brother is resourceful" he said as he kept his back turned.."go to sleep natalie, you need your rest" he finished as she sat there with her back against the wall, as much as she wanted to stay awake she just couldnt help it as her eyes began to drift close and before she knew she was fast asleep..

John watched as she fell asleep, it was amazing how peaceful she seemed right now and he finally allowed himself to relax some as he sat down a few feet away from her, he had been so worried about her, and the amount of relief he felt now that he knew she was ok was more then words could ever express.. He kept his eye on her ankle as she slept sitting up, her head tossing and turning some as he inched closer to her and then he was letting her head rest on his shoulder as he too fell into a somewhat unrestful sleep..

Natalie awoke to the sound of snoring, it caught her off guard as she quickly sat up and John startled some as he grabbed the gun by his lap, both of them a bit disoriented as he looked around and so did she and then she sighed heavily as she realized they were still in that basement..

The signs of morning were falling on them as a bit of sun began to peer into the small window.."you ok?" he asked her as he ran a hand over his face..

"yeah" she nodded her head as he stood up quickly..

"its quiet up there, they may be gone" he said as more of a statement then anything else..

"maybe we should try and go" she said as she began to get up..

"your not going anywhere, you can barely walk" he said dryly..

"i think I can, it doesnt even hurt" she began to say as she stood and then nearly fell as the pain hit her but John was in front of her within seconds..

"why do you have to be so stubborn" he said as he kept his hands on her upper arms.."Your gonna hurt yourself more" he said quietly as he looked at her and she swallowed hard as she looked back and then she was moving her lips to his, she couldnt help herself, maybe it was the situation they were in, the adrenaline of being so god damn scared, or maybe she just wanted to kiss him but either way her lips moved to his until he stepped back some, his hands still on her arms.."dont" he said quietly as she stood there..She didnt know what to, she went to say something to him, anything but he spoke first.." you need to save your strength " is all he said as he helped her to sit again and to say she was beyond confused and mortfied would be an under statement, I mean damn if they were gonna die out there they might as well die for something.."Im gonna head upstairs" he said as he backed up from her..

"what?" she said in shock.."No.."

"i need to check things out and its quiet" he said quickly..

"i dont care, you cant leave me down here, you cant" she said as she tried to stand again but he came over quick..

"dont move" he said sternly as he pushed her back down..

"You cant leave me to go up there" she said pleading..

"we cant stay here" he said with frustration.."I need to check things out"

"what if something happens, what if you dont come back, what if" she began to say as tears yet again filled her eyes..

"dont do this to me right now" he snapped at her..

"well im very fucking sorry but im freaking out here" she said with tears..

"nothing is going to happen" he said quickly..

"Just let me go with you" she tried to get up again..

"damn it natalie sit back down" he snapped at her..

"No, im going" she snapped back as she stood and he came over quickly as he grabbed her arm and she stumbled forward.."i...cant...do this" she began to cry large sobs as he stood there, crying was definitely not his field of expertise..

"its going to be fine" he tried to reassure her..

"Fine? Nothing is ever going to be fine" she began to cry and then before he knew it she was crying into his chest as he stood there..He stood awkwardly for a few moments as she cried against him.."I dont want to die" she cried against him, not being able to hold any of it back anymore, as far as she knew she had lost everything, first her mother and now Rex, she was beside herself with sorrow. All she kept thinking is that Rex had met his fate and she would soon meet it too.

"no one is dying, do you hear me, no one is dying today" he said sternly as he forced her to look at him..The sight of her was so pathetic as she looked at him with bloodshot eyes.."i lost everything" she cried..

"hey dont talk like that, your brother is fine" he tried to reassure her as he brushed some of her hair back..

"You dont know that, those things are everywhere, and now im completely useless, I cant even walk" she cried in sobs as she stood there..

"you just need to calm down and breathe ok" he said softly..

"im trying" she said with big sobs..

"having a breakdown isnt going to help the situation" he said quickly..

"Oh to hell with the situation" she snapped.."Im upset ok, im allowed to be upset!"

"damn it your not allowed" he snapped back surprising her.."Im fucking upset, im pissed.. you could of gotten yourself killed out there!" he said with heavy breaths.."I thought you had" he said as he backed up some but still kept a hand on her to steady her.."I thought you had died" he shook his head, she was surprised to see this emotion from him..

"but you saved me" she said in tears.."and I owe my life to you" she finished as she surprisingly slammed her lips into his and within seconds he had her pinned against the wall as he kissed her senseless..

The life and death situation added to the intense kiss as their mouths explored one another desperately..Kissing John was unlike anything she had ever experienced, he was in complete control and the power of his body over hers sent chills throughout her but just as quickly as the kiss started it ended as he pulled back, panting heavy as was she as he leaned his arm against the wall as he stared at her..

"we cant do this" he said damn near breathless as she stood there, her lips swollen and pink as she tried to catch her breath..He stepped back some as she leaned her back against the wall, both of them breathing heavy as he ran a hand through his hair..She didnt even know what to say to him..Which wasnt so bad cause he too didnt know what to say. He had wanted to kiss her, hell he had wanted to kiss her on the roof the other night but they were literally in the middle of hell right now and neither of them were going to get out alive if they continued on this way.."I need to focus on getting us out of here" he said as he turned from her and looked around the dimly lit place..

A few minutes passed as Natalie sat back down on the ground and John looked out the windows.."I have to go upstairs, atleast clear the place out so you can get up" he finally spoke as her eyes got wide but instead of fighting him on this she knew that that was the only way they would get out, she kept quiet.."dont move" he said as he quickly walked to the stairs and made his way up them..

Natalie moved herself around on the floor so that she was facing the stairs, a knife clutched in her hand as she held her breath..The sound of two distinct thuds made her jump as she quickly scrambled to her feet, knife in hand.. It got quiet, like really quiet as she stood there literally shaking from fear and then within seconds John was coming back down the stairs.."we need to move fast" he said quickly to her as he came over.."can you try to walk" he asked..

"yeah" she nodded her head quickly and then he was putting her arm over his shoulder.."are there more" she asked as they began the long journey up the stairs as she hobbled...

"a few in the front, none in the back from what I see" he began all business like, he almost sounded mad and she couldnt help but wonder if he was mad at her.."Now when we get outside were gonna run, I think were about a half mile out" he said and then he seemed to rethink what he was saying..."or just walk really fast" he glanced at her ankle..

"i think I can do that" she said with doubt in her voice..

"You can do that" he said seriously as he looked at her and they got to the top of the stairs and he quickly looked around.."now lets go" he whispered as they made their way through the old cabin..She tried not to look at the dead on the floor, covered in their own blood.."Im not going to let anything happen to you" he said almost as a reassurance as they got to a door.."but I need you to move as fast as you can" all she did was nod her head and then they were stepping out into the blistering sun and off they went..

It was a lot better being in the woods during the day, it didnt seem so dangerous now, most of the dead were off to the side of them not that it made it much less of a danger but they were able to keep up a nice pace for the most part, only stopping a few minutes here and there for her to catch her breath. Her ankle was literally on fire but she moved past the pain as they walked..

"hows your ankle" he asked as they walked fast..

"it hurts but its ok" she said as she winced..

"i think were up there a little ways" he pointed out into the woods..

"do you really think Rex is ok" she asked as he looked at her..

"Im sure he is fine" he lied cause in all reality he had no idea and he wasnt the only one out there, Steele was there too as well as Gigi, somewhere..

"Im really sorry we ran off" she said as they walked..

"it was a really stupid thing to do" he said coldly..

"i know" she hung her head down as they walked..

They walked in relative silence for quite sometime, only having to kill another four of those things so far.."do you think it will ever go back to normal" she finally asked as they walked..

"i dont know" he said honestly..

The sound of a noise off in the distance made them both stop as John looked around and then like a guardian angel a truck appeared in the distance and Natalie felt a flood of relief wash over her, they were going to make it after all..

"Hey... over here, over here!" John yelled as he waved his hand in the air frantically at the pick up truck that was coming their way..It only took another minute for it to reach them as Steele jumped out with a frantic look on his face..

"fuck man I was looking all night for you" Steele said with relief as he came over and then he looked at Natalie who was hobbling..

"she's hurt, we need to get her in the truck" John said as Steele grabbed her other arm and helped her to the vehicle..

"were really ok" natalie said as emotion raced through her at being saved..

"i told you we were gonna be fine" John said quickly..

"what happened out there" Steele said quickly..

"is my brother ok, is rex...is he" she cried as Steele looked at her...

"they havent come back yet, neither has Dani" Steele said and it was all Natalie needed to hear as she nearly fell down as she cried..

"were gonna find them, we will" John said quickly as him and Steele got her into the truck..

"My god, what if he is...oh god" she cried into her hands as grief washed over her..

The guys looked at one another, sharing the same look, they knew it wasnt a good thing to be out in those woods and they also knew that the longer they all went missing the worse the outcome would be..

"lets go" John said quickly as him and Steele got into the truck, natalie was completely unconsolable as she cried and both guys knew she had good reason cause the reality of the situation was that they may never find the others..

They got back to the motel in record time and with some help Natalie made it up the stairs as her crying finally stopped, rex had to be fine, he just had to be..They were immediately met by Michael who began tending to Natalie's foot.

"im going back out" John said as he grabbed a bottle of water..

"Im going too" Steele said as Natalie looked at them, any other situation she would of begged them to stay but she knew that they were Rex and Gigi's only hope to survive..

"Please find them, find them and bring them back" Natalie said in tears as Michael examined her sprained ankle..

"I wont come back without them" John finished and then him and steele were taking off as Natalie began to cry once more..

"hey...its gonna be ok, it is" Michael said soothingly but Natalie knew better, nothing would ever be ok..


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Natalie tried to keep herself distracted with marcie as the two women began setting up the baby nursery in their room. For the most part it was working, Natalie really liked Marcie she was a strong woman, stronger then anyone she knew.. The idea of being pregnant in this world had to be horrifying but marcie made the best of it but even natalie was worried about her and the baby..

"the crib is beautiful" Natalie said as they stared at the finished piece of furniture..

"Im really surprised that John did all of this, I guess there is a heart in there after all" Marcie said with a soft smile as she admired the crib before them..

"have you known him awhile" Natalie asked, she figured now was as good as anytime to learn more about the man..

"Over ten years" Marcie smiled.."he's a little rough around the edges but he is a good guy deep down" she said softly.."he's been through a lot you know, him and michael both"

"he's so double edged" natalie began honestly as they put blankets in the crib..

"thats John for you, he's been like that as far back as I can remember" marcie said as she laid a teddy bear in the crib.."You like him" she said more of a statement as natalie's eyes got wide and marcie looked at her.."i can tell" she continued as natalie fidgeted nervously.."he likes you too"

"oh I dont" natalie began to fumble her words as images of kissing John filled her head..

"its written all over your face, and well his too" marcie interjected quickly..

"I owe him alot" Natalie said as an explanation..

Marcie stopped what she was doing now and looked at Natalie.."Oh it goes deeper then that", natalie quickly looked away with embarassment, was it really that obvious.."Ive never seen him with anyone, john has never been the relationship type" she continued as Natalie stared at her hands.."but then again I have never seen him stick around one place this long" she said with a shake of her head.."I guess this world has changed everyone, some for the better" she shrugged her shoulders.."i think you would be good together" she smiled and natalie blushed more but the sound of a truck pulling up made them both immediately turn their heads..

"they're back" natalie said as her and Marcie took off to see the guys..A bunch of the others gathered by the window as Steele came up first, followed by John, they looked absolutely exhausted, it only took a second for natalie to see that Gigi and Rex werent with them and the fact that John could barely look at her sent a chill down her spine as she backed up some, tears yet again filling her eyes..

"its getting dark again, we'll try in the morning" was all John said as natalie gasped and then quickly pushed her way out of the room as she ran down the hall, Rex was still out there somewhere and she couldnt help but think the inevitable had happened..

John hadnt even wanted to head back if it wasnt for Steele convincing him to do so, he felt like shit now, going back empty handed, he hated not keeping his promise..

Natalie couldnt stop the tears from falling as she cried in her room, she couldnt even imagine Rex and Gigi spending one more night out there, all alone..Part of her wanted to think that maybe they were hold up in some cabin, maybe they had found somewhere to be safe like her and John had, but the other part of her was visualizing a gruesome death and that image was more powerful..

"How long are we gonna keep on looking, we cant keep wasting valuable resources" Evange said angrily as she came into the group..

"dont" John warned her as he shook his head..

"am I the only one who thinks this is the stupidest idea out there, we cant just spend day and night looking for them, they choose to leave" she continued with anger..

"Damn it I said that is enough!" John snapped at her as every one looked at him..

"first jeff now this" she huffed.."this place is fucking falling apart" she spun around..

John couldnt help himself as he ran up to her.."Hey no one is forcing you to stay Vange, if you dont like it here" he snapped at her..

"are you serious!" she barked at him..

"i think we should all just take it down a notch" Vince said as he entered the room..

"Your gonna get us all killed because of this bullshit" Evange yelled some more..John huffed loudly as he stood there and then he was storming off as everyone looked at Evange.."what? Im being honest"

"Your being a cold hearted bitch, thats what your being" Marcie snapped as she grabbd Michaels hand and lead him out of the room..

"Oh so now im the bad guy?" Evange continued as person after person began to leave the room.."well screw you all!" she yelled as she was the last one standing in the room..

John hated the look on Natalie's face as she took off running, it would forever be burned in his brain and so he made his way to her door, he could hear her crying as he got near..He honestly didnt know what to say to her..A surprising voice caught him off guard, it was jessica.."let me talk to her" she said softly as he stood there and then he was walking off as Jess walked in the room.."nat"

"he's... he's out there" she said in big sobs as she kept her face covered..

"i know but so were you and look, your ok" Jess said as Natalie looked up now with a tear stained face..

"he's not gonna make it" she cried..

"he will, you need to keep believing that" Jess sat down next to her..

"i wish I could but the longer that he is gone" natalie shook her head in fear.."i should of made them stay, I should of forced them"

"listen I dont know your brother very well but I do know Gigi and she is one hard headed chick, you couldnt of stopped them and trust me they will fight" Jess said as she touched natalie's hand..

"Im just so scared, I cant lose him, I just cant" natalie cried and Jessica wrapped her arms around her..

"I know...i know" Jessica said softly as she hugged natalie..

John made his way to the roof, he was beside himself with guilt as he stood up there, he heard the door open and he spoke.."I should of kept looking" he said quickly as Vincent came towards him.."You know they arent going to make it out there" he said honestly as he looked out into the woods behind the motel..

"we will start again in the morning, we cant afford to lose more people, not now" Vince said honestly..

"when is it ok to lose anyone" John yelled.."those fucking things are everywhere!" he yelled angrily.."i hate this fucking place" he said as he picked up a chair and tossed it again the wall as it broke into pieces.."this fucking world!" he went to grab another chair but Vince put his hand on it, stopping him..

"dont do this John, dont you dare give up" Vince said sternly to him..

"why the fuck not, look at how were living and soon there will be a fucking child here, we cant live like this!" John yelled as he stormed off to the side of the roof again.."those were once people, someones sister, brother, hell even someones grandma" John yelled as he began to ring shot after shot out onto the dead below, watching as they dropped to the ground.."I'll fucking take them all out, every last one of those fuckers!" he yelled as Vince grabbed his arm.."Just leave me the fuck alone" he yanked his arm back and Vince knew that he had to go, this is the way John dealt with loss, he had sadly seen it too many times, in a few hours when the dust settled he would be ok, he always was but something about this loss worried Vince cause he honestly didnt know how much more John could take and in all reality he didnt know how much more he could take either..

Jessica hugged natalie as they sat on the bed..."you know Vange was right about me" she finally spoke as Natalie looked up in tears.."i really was nothing but a spoiled brat" Jess said as she wiped her eyes.."i had the house, the car, hell I spent money like it was nothing and now none of that even matters" she said quietly as she hung her head down.."i wasnt a good person"

Natalie couldnt help but feel bad for this girl.."everyone makes mistakes" Natalie finally said as Jessica looked at her..

"brody found me locked in my bedroom, I had been in there for days, I thought I was the only one alive and I wanted to die" Jessica said with tears.."I even tried" she said as she rubbed at her wrist that had a faint scar on it.."do you want to know what I really miss" Jess said with tears streaming down her face and now natalie was crying along with her.."I miss my mom and my dad, we even had a dog and they are all gone, everything is gone and its never coming back, never" she cried as Natalie now hugged her..

"its gonna get better, it has to, it just has to" Natalie said as she hugged the crying girl and they both found comfort in each others sorrow..

The mood in the house was somber once more as night fell onto them, the ones who ate did it sparingly and even Todd and Blair didnt bicker, not once, it was a surreal feeling as they all sat quietly in their own rooms..Natalie's tears had finally stopped but her appetite was nonexsistant, she literally felt numb as she sat on her bed staring at Gigi's empty one..

"i tried" John slurred his words as he stood at her door and she jumped slightly out of surprise to see him standing there apparently drunk.."i tried to get them back" he leaned against the door frame as she swallowed hard..

"i dont blame you" she finally spoke in a choked tone..

"You should" he said dryly.."i promised I would come back with them" he rested his head on his hand..Natalie stood now and he looked up.."dont natalie" he said as he put his hand up and that is when she saw the gashes on it and she gasped at the bloody mess of his hand..

"oh my god your hurt" she said with wide eyes as she continued to walk over and he looked at his hand..

"its nothing" he said as he looked at his battered hand..

"Oh god there is glass in it" she said in shock.."Im getting your brother" she said quickly as he stopped her..

"dont do that, im fine" he barked at her..

"no your not John, look at your hand" she said with fear..She watched as he yanked a piece of glass from his hand and dropped it on the ground with a clink..

"its fine" he said again..

"jesus John" she said as she rushed across her room and grabbed a towel from the floor and then quickly went back to him with it in her hand..

"i should be out there" he said as he began to stumble and she grabbed his arm..

"your not going anywhere" she snapped at him..

"your gonna stop me" he laughed drunkingly as she grabbed his hand and pressed the towel against it hard as he bit back a groan.."son of a" he began as he gritted his teeth..

"stop fighting me" she said to him as she began to lead him across the room..

"Im not a fucking child" he tried to yank his hand back..

"then stop acting like one" she yelled back as Michael now came running in the room with Steele in tow..

"what the hell happened" Michael began as he looked at the blood on the ground and then at John and Natalie..

"nothing" John snapped as he tried to yank his hand away..

"his hand is all cut up, pieces of glass are in it" natalie began..

"ill get some water" Steele said quickly..

"get me some bandages and stitches" Michael said as he rushed over to Natalie and then he pushed John onto the bed and he fell with a thud..

"Fuck Michael, im fine!" John slurred out..

"Your far from fine brother" Michael said as he unwrapped the bloodied hand.."Jesus John, what the hell did you do"

"you should see the other guy" John laughed..

Natalie just watched as Michael tended to Johns bloodied hand. John kept trying to fight him off but it was useless especially when Steele came back with the supplies cause he held John down as Michael began cleaning out the wounds..Natalie was horrified to see John like this, to see him so broken was nearly too much to take..

"I said I am fine god damn it" John continued to yell..

"Natalie give me the needle and stitches" Michael said as natalie quickly handed them over..

"dont fucking touch me with that thing" John yelled out and then let out a loud groan as Michael began stitching him up..

"dont fight it man, your gonna lose" Steele said to John as he held him down..

"fuck you" John slurred at him..

"hurry up Michael before he makes me knock him out for real" Steele warned..

"I would love to see you try" John laughed drunkingly..

"trust me it wouldnt be hard you ass" Steele yelled..

"damn it just let me concentrate" Michael yelled out..

The entire procedure only last about ten minutes and in that time John had passed out, mainly from the pain but also from the alcohol he had consumed.."its gonna hurt like hell tomorrow, he's lucky he didnt break anything" michael continued as he got up and so did Steele..

"he's out cold, you should sleep somewhere else tonight" Steele said as he looked at natalie..

"Im fine, im not leaving him alone" Natalie said quickly, she didnt even care at this point as Michael and Steele both looked at her a bit shocked..

"Just keep his head turned that way if he vomits he wont choke on it" Michael said quickly as he backed up..

"i really dont think you should stay in here with him" steele began again..

"i owe it to him, im not leaving" natalie said again as she looked at a sleeping John..

"alright" Steele shook his head..

"its late we should try and get some sleep" Michael said as he headed to the door.."he will be ok"

"Thank you" natalie said softly as she sat there..

"come on steele" Michael said as steele reluctantly left and Natalie looked back down at John, what the hell had gotten into him?

It took natalie some time but she eventually fell asleep right next to John as he snored loudly and grumbled in his sleep, it was way into the night when natalie awoke to John yelling out something as she sat straight up and immediately saw he was still sleeping but having some sort of nightmare..

"John...john wake up" she said quickly and then within seconds he had her pinned on the bed as she gasped, his eyes looked crazed and for a moment she didn't know what the hell he would do but slowly the look dissipated as he looked around the dark room..

"what the hell" he began as he tried to sit up and he groaned in pain as his head throbbed..

"you passed out" natalie finally said with a heavy breath as he looked around some more then at her..

"Shit" he said with a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair and he attempted to get up but only to fall back down..

"You should sit, dont stand too quick" she said as she sat up and looked at him, he still looked disoriented..

"why am I in here" he said with a shake of his head..

"You were drunk" she began as his eyes got wide..

"did I...did I hurt you" he said with fear in his voice..

"No..you did hurt your hand though" she began as he glanced at his bandaged hand.."I'll get you some water" she said quickly as she got up now but he reached out and grabbed her wrist as she stood there..He didnt say anything he just looked at her and she swallowed hard.."i'll be right back" she said as he slowly let go of her hand and she quickly left the room..

John put his head in his hands, his right hand was throbbing something awful and so was his head, he hadnt even remembered drinking that much, he groaned in pain as he sat there, how had he ended up in her room?

Natalie came back in less then a minute with a bottle of water in hand as she came over to him.."here this will help" she said as he looked at her and then took the bottle..

He took a long sip of the water and then spoke.."Michael stitched me?"

"Yeah but you gave a good fight" she said softly..

"I didnt hit him did i" he said with remorse..

"No, steele held you down" she continued..

"shit" he said again as he shook his head.."Im sorry" he said low..

"its ok" she said quietly..

"why did you stay" he asked as he looked at her...

"returning the favor" she forced a smile...

"you didnt have to" he shook his head and looked away from her, he was beyond embarassed at his own actions..

"i...i wanted to" she swallowed hard as he looked at her..He put his hand back on his head as he squinted his eyes in pain.."your head hurts" she said more as a statement..

"a bit but im gonna let you be" he began to get up but now she grabbed his hand, stopping him..

"Please dont" she said quietly as he looked at her hand on him and then at her.."Please dont go" her voice was a plead..

"I shouldnt be in here" he said with guilt in his voice..

"i want you in here" she said softly as he looked at her..

"Im drunk" he continued.."and if I stay" his voice trailed..

"if you stay, what?" she swallowed hard..

"nothing, I just have to go" he said as he went to get up again but she held onto his hand.."natalie" he said with a heavy breath..His eyes held a warning..

"Please just stay" she said as she looked at him.."i dont want to be alone" she whispered..

His hand came up and grazed the side of her face as he brushed a piece of her hair back.."You dont need someone like me around" he said honestly..He was losing the fight big time..

"your exactlly who I want around" she said as her face neared his..

"natalie, I cant" he said damn near breathless as her mouth inched closer to hers..

"please...kiss me" she whispered with a shaky voice as her face was merely centimeters from his.."i want you" was all she said before his lips met hers and instantly their tongues were colliding as he pushed her back against the bed as his mouth made love to hers..


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

His weight pressing her into the bed made her groan, he felt delicious against her and his tongue was doing things to her mouth that she only dreamed of..But he slowly pulled back as he leaned up on his arms, breathing heavy.."dont stop" she whispered breathlessly as she looked at him.."i want this, I want you" she began to tug on his shirt..

"natalie" he said breathlessly as he looked at her..

"Just shut up and kiss me" she said as she tugged his mouth back to hers and he kissed her even more intensley as she pulled on the back of his shirt and then he was leaning up as he pulled it up and over his head, quickly tossing it on the floor..

"are you sure" he said as he looked at her..

She answered him by grabbing her own shirt and lifting it over her head as he looked down at her bra clad breasts and then her hands went to his jeans as she tugged on the button, she couldnt remember the last time she wanted someone this bad.."fuck" he groaned as his hands slipped behind her head and he pulled her mouth to his and quickly he was flipping them around so she straddled him..

The sound in the room was heavy pants and moaning as he held her head in place as he kissed her senseless and the rocking of her body against his groin was pushing him dangerously close to the edge, she felt so good, too good!

Pushing himself up he yanked her closer against him as his mouth continued it devestating journey down her collarbone as he kept one hand firmly panted on her hip as he ground her against his ever growing erection..

The feel of the scruff on his face against the top of her breasts was almost too much to bear as she threw her head back in desire and then he was yanking her bra down as he engulfed one of her taunt nipples into his mouth..

"Oh god" she gasped as he sucked and nipped against her sensitive flesh as she rocked harder and harder against him and then his hands were at the waist of her jeans as he pulled at the button, his mouth never leaving her breasts as she gasped over and over again..

Before she knew it he had them flipped over again as he made short work of her jeans, yanking them from her body as he tossed them aside and then he was pulling his own down as she quickly removed her panties and fumbled her way out of her bra. Then he was back on her again, pressing his delicious naked weight against her body as his mouth attacked hers..

She was just a collaboration of feelings and sensations as she clawed at his back, wanting to feel as close as humanly possible to him and his groans of pleasure were sending her through the roof, this man was hot as hell..Not that she had much to compare him with, just a few guys up until this stage in her life but none of them, none at all were any way shape or form like John..

With a free hand he adjusted himself between her legs as she wrapped them tightly around his waist, nearly crushing him as his mouth went down to her neck, nipping and sucking where he could as he rubbed the head of his cock on her folds of flesh as she rocked her hips against him and then he was entering her with a devestating thrust, filling her to capacity as she went to cry out in pleasure but he covered her mouth with his as he settled deep into her body..

It was as if his tongue was mimicking the rest of his body as he began moving in and out of her with slow easy strokes that set her body a flame and she couldnt help the moans of pleasure coming from her throat.. He picked up the pace as he leaned into her more, letting her body sheath him completely before he withdrew and then repeated the same torture again and again..

She was beyond sensation now as her toes tingled and her legs tensed around his moving body and then he was flipping them over as she quickly slid onto him as she threw her head back in ecstasy.. He arched his neck as she took him for a ride, he knew he couldn't last much longer and she was so close, he could feel her walls already tightening around his hard flesh and it was nearly enough to send him over the edge..

His hands went to her hips as he helped to move her even harder against him as she cried out his name as her orgasm flooded her body and his too..

"fuck" he called out as he quickly sat up and attacked her mouth as he found his release inside of her and they stayed like that, two bodies covered in sweat, pressed tightly together until neither of them could barely move..

It was nearly ten minutes later as they both laid in the bed with her head on his chest and his hand lightly stroking her back as they regained their breathing..

"that was" she said breathlessly..

"I know...shit" he said with a heavy breath as she looked up at him now,she couldnt help the smile on her face, even if everything else in her life seemed to be going to hell, well atleast now she would have a great memory to add to the destruction around them.."your unbelievable" he said almost in shock..

"Your not so bad yourself" she smirked some as she leaned down and kissed him and then slowly pulled back...

"sleep" he said as she nodded her head and put it back down and then she really did fall asleep, right there on his chest, listening to his heart beating away..

Natalie awoke to an empty bed as the sun peeked through the cracks in the wood covering the window, she stared at the empty spot where John was laying hours ago and she sighed as she sat up, pulling the sheet with her..Last night had been amazing and wonderful but now it was over and a new day was upon them, a new day of dangers not to mention that her brother was still missing and with that she quickly went to get dressed..

John stood outside on the roof as he looked over, thankfully his head was no longer throbbing and even his hand had settled down a bit, he looked at it as flashes of being with natalie passed through his mind..

"your lucky you didnt break it bro" Michael said as he walked out onto the roof and John looked at him and then his hand.."the stitches will dissolve in a few weeks" he continued as he walked over.."but you need to keep it clean"

"i was really out of it last night" John shook his head as he stood there..

"yeah well dont let it happen again" Michael said seriously and then he smirked some.."but apparently not all of last night was bad"

"Huh?" John said quickly and then he thought of him and natalie, had they been loud, had everyone heard them, he ran a hand through his hair..

"I guess its safe to say that you got to know her last night, very well" Michael smirked as John rolled his eyes..

"shut up mikey" he said as he spun around but with a hint of a smile on his lips..

"Im just saying" Michael continued..

"and im saying, shut up.." John said quickly.."i gotta head back out there" he said as he looked over the roof, he still had to find Gigi and Rex..

"You really should leave it up to some of the other guys" Michael began as John looked at him..

"dont do this Mikey, im going" he said seriously..

"eventually were gonna have to call off the search, you know that" Michael said honestly as John kept staring out..

"yeah well not today" he said as he spun back around.."Hold the fort down until I get back" he finished as he walked past his brother..

Natalie felt completely selfconscious as she made her way out to the large living area as everyone sat out there and looked at her, she wondered if they somehow knew about last night and apparently they did as Kelly came over smirking..

"sleep well?" she said with a grin as Natalie stood there and turned bright red..

"Oh leave the poor girl alone, like we havent heard you and Kevin at it" Blair laughed..

"you could have some competition tonight" Todd smirked as Blair rolled her eyes at him and smacked his arm.."ow.."

"thats a warning shot buddy" Blair said sarcastically..

"well I think its cute, its about time John softens up a bit" Jessica smiled big and Natalie wanted to hide under a rock..

"Oh I dont think there was anything soft about last night" Joey laughed and him and Kevin high fived..

"God your such children" Kelly rolled her eyes playfully at them..

"well I dont know about you guys but im starving" Nora finally said quickly as she stood up..."anyone want to help out" she finished as some of the girls got up and headed out of the room, Natalie quickly turned to do so too but immediately stopped when she saw Evange and if looks could kill, well needless to say natalie would be dead right now..

"out of my way" Evange pushed past her as Natalie contemplated saying something to her but thought better of it as she walked out of the room only to see john coming down the hall. It was weird seeing him now, she didnt know how to act, would he be different towards her, should she be different towards him? Granted they had slept together and it was a damn apocolypse and all but still, where exactlly did they stand..

He almost looked as if he was gonna run the other way and natalie honestly didnt know how to take that, she felt awkward, uncomfortable but then he was coming over and stopping a few feet in front of her.."sleep ok?" he said as he ran a nervous hand through his hair..

"yeah" she swallowed hard..

"good" he said awkwardly as they stood there.."Im gonna run out and check the woods again" he said as he stared at everything but her..

"Ok" she said quietly.. This was even more awkward then she had imagined it to be..

"well...uh... i'll see ya" he said as he walked past her and she just stood there, she really didnt get him at all..

"I wouldnt take it personally" Steele said as he came up behind her and she jumped slightly as she spun around.."John is never one for words"

"its fine...i dont um need words" she said with embarassment, like hell she didnt need words, she wanted to talk to him, to see what he was thinking, was it back to square one now?

"whatever you say Natalie" Steele said as he walked past her and she sighed again as she stood there..

"i wouldnt get too excited, everyone knows that John is a playa and you just played right into his game" Evange said as natalie turned and looked at her.."Hope it was worth it, stupid girl.."Evange smiled wickedly as she walked away and Natalie shook her head, what the hell was that all about?

"Natalie can you help" Nora called out from the other room as natalie tried to get the images from her head and then she was quickly heading into the kitchen area..

The girls prepared a chicken salad lunch and even though the chicken had been canned it still was quite delicious and it seemed everyone was enjoying it, well except for the guys who were out and Natalie tried not to think about that, she needed to be positive, she needed to keep hope that Rex was out there somewhere..

John and Steele swept the woods by foot as they looked around for any signs of Rex and Gigi but there were none.."were cool, right man" Steele finally said as they walked side by side..

"why wouldnt we be" John said as he kept his eyes in front of him..

"I dunno cause you got the girl and all that shit" Steele said as John stopped now and looked at him.."i mean you won her fair and square, right?"

"I wasnt aware that we were in a contest" John said dryly as he looked at Steele, right about now he wasnt liking his tone..

"Nah... you know what I mean" Steele tried to play it off cool.."I mean with the world ending and all"

"No I really dont get what you mean, why dont you explain it to me" John was getting annoyed now as he looked at his friend..

"Im just saying that I mean you kind of limited my choices now, I mean everyone knows Evange was chasing after you" he shrugged his shoulders..

"what exactlly are you saying" John stared at him..

"Nothing, I mean.. come on John, weve known each other for quite sometime now and its slim pickings out there" he said as Johns face tightened.."Im not mad or anything"

"well thats good to know" John said dryly.."we should keep walking" he felt his anger raising and he honestly didnt want to do this in the middle of the woods with the dead all around them..They began to walk again..

"i mean im just saying you already had Evange" Steele said as John stopped now..

"why dont you just spit it out steele, you got a problem" John snapped at him..

"You already had someone man" Steele finally blurted out..

"what? Are you out of your mind, I was never with Evange regardless of her advances, she was a friend, end of story" John snapped at him..

"well I mean that changed when natalie came around" Steele said quickly..

"you know what, I dont think we should talk about this anymore" John shook his head..

"Just admit it" Steele said as he kept standing there..

"admit what?" John yelled out now..

"you stole her out from under me man" Steele said quickly and John blinked in shock..

"what? She isnt a prize" John said angrily..

"i shouldnt of said anything" Steele shook his head..

"You shouldnt of, lets keep moving" John said as he turned from him..

"its just that" Steele began as John stopped now and sucked in a deep breath.."I mean it was kind of shitty man"

"you want to do this right now Steele, right here in the middle of the god damn woods, is that it" John snapped at him.."I didnt steal shit from you, she is a person and last time I looked she wasnt someones property!"

"woo man, chill out" Steele put his hands up as John walked over..

"dont talk about her ok, how about that, just dont" John snapped at him..

"alright then" Steele said as both men stared at one another and then Steele walked past him as John watched him and then walked behind him..

Natalie sat in the living area as everyone talked about old memories of their childhoods and laughed, she tried to get into the spirit but she had a difficult time knowing that John was still out looking for Rex, now she was worried about both of them.. The sound of the truck pulling up made them all stop talking as Natalie jumped up and ran to the hall as others followed..Steele came up first through the window as Natalie looked at him and he shook his head 'no' as her heart sank..

"sorry nat, not today" he said as he came over and she watched as John came in through the window, him and Steele shared a strange look and then steele was walking away as natalie stood there and John looked at her..

"we'll try again tomorrow, I promise" he said quietly and she sucked back tears as she stood there and just nodded her head..."he's out there ok" he began as she stared at the ground and the others began to leave the room quietly.."You ok?" he asked as he came over..

"yeah" she lied as tears filled her eyes..

"come here" he said as he pulled her against him and she cried softly against him.."im gonna find him, I will" he said as he tried to soothe her..

Natalie pulled back after a few seconds as that awkward feeling crossed over her, she wiped her eyes.."Im sorry I didnt mean to"

"its alright" he said with a soft smile and she lightened up some..She didnt know what this change of mood was for but she wasnt about to complain either..

"your probably starving, there is food inside" she said as she wiped the rest of her tears..

"yeah I should eat" he said as he stood there for a moment and then walked past her but as he did so he grabbed her hand into his and they both walked out of there hand in hand..To say she was a bit shocked would be an understatement but she was. Yet again she wasn't about to say anything to ruin this, she just kept holding his hand, it felt right, he felt right..

Natalie sat as John ate, neither of them really said anything as they sat there.."hows your ankle feeling" John finally said as he finished eating..

"Not too bad" she said honestly as she looked down at it then up at him..

"Hows your hand" she said as he glanced at his bandaged hand..

"still works so thats good" he smirked a little as he made a fist.."i gotta head up to the roof" he said as he stood and she hated to see him go so soon after coming back..

"You know I wouldnt mind keeping guard too" she said as she swallowed hard..

"i remember how that went last time" he shook his head..

"i promise not to shoot off any bows" she said with a smile..

"its really boring" he ran a nervous hand through his hair..

"boring is good sometimes" she smiled some...

"alright" he said as he nodded his head and she smiled..

"ok then, lead the way" she said as they both left the kitchen..

She really enjoyed spending this time with him as they stood up on the roof, he was being quite talkative tonight and that was surprising and interesting, she had found out that he use to be an FBI agent, something she wouldnt of guessed even though now it seemed to make sense..

"it had to be hard moving from place to place all the time" she said honestly, now she was beginning to understand a lot of what marcie had said about him..

"You know you get use to it after awhile" he shrugged his shoulders as he looked out over the roof.."a forensic tech though, huh" he said as he looked at her now..

"well I guess not anymore" she said quickly as the realization hit that her dreams were officially shattered..

"I wouldnt say that, I mean the world is gonna have to be rebuilt sometime" he said honestly..

"do you really think that" she asked solemnly..

"I have to otherwise none of this is worth it" he said honestly as he looked back out..

"i think meeting you makes it all worth it" she blurted out as she looked down with embarassment, maybe she was going too far..

"Yeah I think so too" he said surprisingly as she looked up at him..He moved his hand to her face and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand and then they were both looking back out the woods..

John and Natalie stayed up on that roof for quite a few hours talking about nothing in particular, it was nice, refreshing actually and very much welcomed on both ends. John had learned that Natalie was a resident of AC, she talked about her mom and about Rex and his reckless ways and John spoke of his life in Lanview, Pennsylvania and how he had lost his father at a young age and then his mother just a few short years back. All he had in this world was Michael, and he was making up for lost time now.

Natalie got to see a different side of him, a softer gentler side even though something told her that if the situation called for it John could be as cold hearted and callous as they came.

By the time Cris came up to cover him natalie didnt know if she should ask him to her room, she wanted to but she was still a bit unsure how he felt about that..

"well its late" John said as he ran a hand through his hair and they stood in the hallway..

"yeah I should probably get some sleep" she said awkwardly as she stood there..

"me too" John said quickly as they both stood there..

"well uh, good night John" Natalie finally said as uncomfortable tension filled the air..

"Night natalie" he said as she stood there for another moment and then turned from him..

"You know if you wanted to see my room" he began as she spun around, a grin on her face..

"i thought you would never ask" she said quickly as he grinned a bit too..

"alright then...lets go" he said as they quickly made it down the hall..

Meanwhile Steele stood at the edge of his door way as he listened to them. He felt cheated and that definitely wasnt a good thing..He slammed his door shut as he continued drinking..

They got to Johns room quickly as she stepped inside, it was a nice size room that he apparently didnt share with anyone which was nice in itself, the sound of him shutting the door made her heart skip a beat as she slowly turned and faced him but within in seconds he had her pinned against the wall as his mouth attacked hers..


End file.
